


Angels With Scaly Wings: Alternate Reality

by InsurrectionAlpha



Category: Angels with Scaly Wings (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2020-04-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:55:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 43,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23810428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InsurrectionAlpha/pseuds/InsurrectionAlpha
Summary: (Alternate take on how Dragons met Humans, and in a much more drastic and clandestine theme. Story will be as ongoing as I can make it via sequels.) When the land of Dragons receives an unexpected visitor from another world, conjecture arises as to his motives and origins. Fleeing the cataclysm back home, Tyler finds the threat from his past is closer than he ever realized. A chance encounter brings Tyler together with Anna, and Anna quickly realizes this human has access to things she can only speculate at. With the fate of Dragonland hanging in the balance, Tyler must fight an old nemesis one last time, with the help of his new dragon colleagues, in a war that will take him among the stars...
Relationships: Anna & OC
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7





	1. Episode One: The Exile

**Angels With**

**Scaly Wings:**

**Alternate Reality**

**Season One**

Episode One

The Exile

Time. The Exile had no idea how much time had passed. He lost consciousness somewhere in transit to this... new, yet somehow strangely familiar world that he now found himself waking up on. Finding that portal device was just a stroke of luck - luckier, still, was how it still had power. He didn't understand most of what it was or how it worked; only that, clearly, it worked. On examining the console of the corresponding portal, he realized it had logs that he had used it. That had to be fixed. He didn't know if any of  _ them _ survived, and if they did, he wasn't going to leave a trail for them to follow. No way in hell. He quickly erased the data, and then left in a hurry. Something told him he should. The Force guided him. He had no money, and nothing he cared to trade - and given the ambient darkness, he estimated it was sometime past midnight, so even if he did have items to trade, there was nowhere to trade them for whatever currency this world used. First order of business was to secure food, clean water, and a place to sleep. Getting water was easy enough - a faucet outside a building in the city he infiltrated allowed him to fill up his canteen; food was also just as easy; he found some game on a farm, and with a shot from his rifle - fitted with a suppressor he scavenged before coming here - took down his target, and his unnatural strength allowed him to carry his prey away with no difficulty, where he was able to slice it up and store it in the Transporter Buffers in his gauntlets so he could cook and eat it later. Food, check. Water, check. Surveying his surroundings with his telltale draconic eyes - a deep yellow surrounding narrow, black slits - the Exile looked for a place to stay that was within a reasonable distance to his source of water and food. While searching, he found a small slaughterhouse not far from his source of water, and a park, identified as the Tatsu Park. Park was out of the question - too likely to be spotted by locals. He needed someplace more... concealable. A map at public directory provided him with a detailed schematic of the city, one he was quick to scan into his gauntlet computer before he vanished again. Once he was in a secure location, he reviewed the map, and found a spot relatively close to his water and food source, and headed there.

The location was quiet, and in an area that looked as though it was not frequented by visitors often. Still, he set a few makeshift devices from parts in the alley to warn him if anyone came down that way. That done, he did a quick perimeter search to confirm he was alone - at least for the time being - and then called up his sleeping bag from the transporter buffers, made himself at home in a secluded, hidden corner that had easy access to a ladder, and went to sleep.

He had no idea how much time had passed.

**{{{{{ }}}}}**

After a long stint, Anna was ready to drop dead. She didn't know why she had thought the latest experiment would work. She thought it had potential. Lies to make her feel better. How could she beat this? The council didn't help, either. And then there was Damion, the bastard. Self-centered, selfish jackass - always looking for something new to use against her. When all she wanted was to  _ live _ . But still, something gnawed at her. Why was she taking  _ this  _ route to her apartment? Her normal route was faster. What possessed her to come here? The Dragoness didn't know. Something drove her, but she didn't understand what or why. She delved deeper into the alley, heading for the street, she hoped. It was as she passed another, more hidden and secluded alley that she suddenly got a cold chill in her spine, and felt compelled to look into that dark, sunless alcove. At first glance, nothing was there. But just as she turned to leave, she heard something - a faint shiver. She thought her mind was playing tricks on her, and was about to turn away when she heard it  _ again _ . Then a faint voice, muttering in some foreign language she didn't recognize. As though of their own volition, her feet and legs walked her into that alley. She followed the source, and her feet tripped a wire, that caused a rather noisy pile of cans to collapse. Surprisingly, whoever it was that was here didn't react. She continued to walk, slowly and quietly, and kept an eye out for any more tripwires - they were cleverly-hidden. Someone wanted to know if anyone came down this alley, which told Anna that someone was sleeping here - and had survival experience. Definitely someone to talk to. She followed the muttering until she came upon it's source. And that source shook her to her core.

The interloper was human, with pale tan skin and an average build. His hair was brown, but his eyes were closed and twitching in his sleep, and he was quaking in a sleeping bag, muttering in that foreign language. It almost seemed he was having a terrible night terror. Anna had heard of the rumors of a human world, and that humans existed, but Anna never thought she'd meet one. Just why did her instincts take her to  _ this _ human, she wondered? Noting his shivering, she figured he was cold, and knelt down beside him. "Hey, pal... tonight's a bad night to be sleeping in an alley." She gently shook the human. He still continued to mutter, a little louder this time. She shook him again. "Hey, you okay?" she asked. For one reason or another, she couldn't let this be - she could at least take him to a homeless shelter. She shook a little more forcefully, trying to wake the man. Bad move. He awoke with a terrified scream, scrambled up, and put his back against a wall, his eyes distilling pure terror, his breaths erratic and uneven. He spoke in that same language, and Anna got the impression he saw something in his sleep that terrified him. "Easy, pal - I don't want to hurt you. I'm a friend - I'm  _ your _ friend. My name is Anna. What's yours?" The man stood there, breathing erratically and heavily, seemingly terrified of Anna, yet at the same time looking as though he recognized her - and was absolutely terrified to be before her - before he spoke in plain basic.

"Horgus," he said, "Tyler Horgus."

"Tonight's a bad night to be sleeping out here, Tyler," Anna told him. "And given your appearance, I imagine you couldn't just check yourself into a hotel."

"No money, nothing to trade," Tyler affirmed. "What choice did I have?" Anna nodded her head to the side, admitting mentally that it made sense. "Besides... I've slept in colder conditions than this. Where I'm from makes the cold here a sweet mercy by comparison."

"You must be very tough to survive that, then - even for a human--" Anna stopped when she noticed his eyes. She'd been too distracted to see it before. His eyes... his eyes were decidedly Dragon. There was more to this human than was immediately apparent. But before Anna could ask about it, the two of them were interrupted.

"Hey! You there! You're, uh... you're trespassing on private property! What are you doing here?"

Anna looked over and saw several Runner Dragons approaching them with Police hats and equipment. But the ringleader's tone suggested something else. Still, Anna wanted no trouble with the police, so she tried to diffuse the situation: "I was just about to take this man to a homeless shelter; he's cold and probably starving."

"I don't care if he's dying; he has no right to be here!" the leader snarled.

"Get clear; these aren't cops - they're blue-light bandits," Tyler told Anna in a much calmer tone. The leader turned his head to face Tyler.

"What did you just call us?" he asked. It was as his head was turned to look at Tyler that Anna noticed a small tattoo on this dragon's scales - one of a red XII.

"I ain't mumbling," Tyler responded. "You're not real cops; you're blue-light bandits. I wonder what the penalty is, here, for illegally posing as a Police Officer...?"

"I guess it's time we show you the penalty for defying the law!" another of the "cops" growled. They all drew nightsticks, and advanced on Tyler.

"You fellas sure you wanna ride this train?" Tyler inquired in a softer tone.

"What are you gonna do? There's six of us and one of you," the leader spat.

"So be it," Tyler sighed wearily. The instant the cop swung his weapon, Tyler intercepted it in the blink of an eye, disarmed him, and swung it in quick arcs, moving with blazing speed. In the span of a few seconds, he had all six officers down on their backs, groaning in pain. Tyler stood over them, a handheld device in his hands, pointing it at all of them. As though remembering she was still there, he pointed that device at Anna. Anna froze, thinking it to be a kind of weapon.

"Easy, pal - I'm not with them," Anna assured him. "I don't even know who they are."

Tyler wasn't having that. "Fuck you!" he shouted.

"If I  _ was _ with them, why didn't I attack you? Had I wanted to harm you, I could have slit your throat while you slept - but I  _ didn't _ . If I was with them, we wouldn't be having this conversation," Anna told him. There was a pause, where Anna looked up and spotted a surveillance camera. Her attention then returned to Tyler. His frown deepened, then lightened, and he lowered his weapon, making it vanish by means she didn't understand.

"No... no, you wouldn't. If your intent was to harm me, the Force would have warned me," he said softly.

"The Force?" Anna repeated in confusion.

"Another time - we should get moving," Tyler said, "Before any of their friends come looking for them."

Impulsively, Anna made an offer: "I have an apartment nearby; you could duck in there for a few days." Tyler looked at her, a look of surprise on his face, then shook it off.

"Very well. Let us go." She turned to leave, and headed out of the alley, and lead Tyler to her apartment. There were no further incidents along the way. She unlocked the door, and allowed Tyler in, who looked around as though visually ensuring this was a secure area. He then moved about, looking for something Anna couldn't discern.

"Are you hungry?" she asked. Tyler paused, then turned to her.

"I managed to secure some food before you found me in that alley - I just need a means to cook it," Tyler said. Anna gestured to the stove, and Tyler set to work immediately, melting some butter in the skillet, then slapping a few slabs of meat down in it, adding some spices, and cooking what Anna felt was a good-smelling meal. When he was done, they both enjoyed a nice steak. She had to admit, he could cook.

"Color me impressed - this is  _ good _ ," she complimented.

"It's been a while since I cooked anything this grand; meat like this was scarce where I'm from," Tyler said. "Truth be told, I was worried I didn't cook it right." He downed another bite. Anna briefly considered telling him about the camera she spotted in the alley, but thought that Tyler would be better off if he didn't know. Those blue-light bandits clearly attacked him first, so he had a clear case of self-defense.

As though summoned by those thoughts, the doorbell rang.  _ Who would be coming here at this hour? _ Anna thought as she got up to answer the door. Behind it was none other than Bryce, the Chief of Police.

"Good evening, Anna," he greeted her.

"Chief Bryce," she responded.

"Is he here?" Bryce asked.

"Who?" Anna countered.

"Your friend from the alley," Bryce answered.

"Is he in trouble?" Anna asked, plying her innocence.

"Not at all," Bryce chuckled. "I just have a few questions for him." Anna looked to Tyler before allowing Bryce in, hoping this didn't turn into a major incident.

**{{{{{ }}}}}**

Bryce entered Anna's apartment, and almost stopped when he saw the reported human. Surveillance videos recorded his fight, and he had a hard time believing there was a human here. He'd heard the legends, of course - everyone had. But to see one... At first, he'd thought the person monitoring the camera was mistake, till he saw the footage himself. Even then, he felt there had to be an explanation. But now, seeing this human himself... it was surreal. He had not lied when he said the human was in no trouble - the security recording depicted a clear picture of six runners, all dressed up like police, making the first hostile move - which the human reacted to. He'd already, in fact, been cleared of any assault charges by way of Self-Defense. What he wanted to ask the human, was what he was doing here and why.

"I assume you're... Tyler Horgus?" Bryce asked as he approached the human. Tyler nodded wordlessly. "I'm Chief Bryce, Police Department. I just had a few questions." Tyler made a simple hand gesture that Bryce took as permission to proceed. "What brought you to our world?" Bryce's words struck Tyler like bullets, and his gaze trailed off before returning to Bryce.

"It's a long story," he told him. "For now, let's say I had to flee a cataclysm and leave it at that. A... self-imposed exile."

"I see," Bryce responded. A cataclysm would definitely qualify him for Asylum due to Catastrophe. Assuming that bit was true. "How did you get here?"

Tyler motioned his head outside. "That portal device. I would assume you know of it. Found the other end on my homeland, in a facility that somehow had power. Fired it up, punched up the first coordinates it gave me, and went into the abyss. Lost consciousness somewhere in transit, and woke up here; I can tell you little more beyond that."

_ So the reports weren't lying - the portal is functional, _ Bryce thought. The picture was clear, but there were still some details missing. But it would be enough for the Minister, for now. "I appreciate your candor on this matter, Mister Horgus," Bryce said. "And we appreciate you only maiming those men posing as Police. That's a serious offense here, but we're glad you didn't kill them." In response, Tyler seemingly materialized that item he had in the alley and set it on the table.

"There was nothing to be gained by killing them," he said. "I try to avoid killing, when I can. This? One of many tools at my fingertips. I keep it and many others for self defense."

"Just out of curiosity, what is that?" Bryce asked.

Tyler hit a button on the device's grip, and took out a rectangular item from a hollow space in the grip, which was loaded with multiple small, pointed pieces of metal. "A gun. FN Five-Seven; military-issue pistol where I'm from. Fires a 5.7x28mm Armor-Piercing round," he explained.

"Armor-Piercing?" Bryce said. "So that could go through Dragon Scales?"

"Possibly," Tyler answered. "I keep it, again, for self-defense. Ordinarily, I'd go for a leg shot."

"Good to know," Bryce commented. "You're... rather forthcoming with me. While I appreciate it, I do find it rather curious."

"I have my own troubles," Tyler said. "But I have nothing to hide. I gain nothing by deceiving the police." Bryce nodded in agreement, then looked to Anna.

"Why don't you show him around town tomorrow? Help him feel a little more welcome," he suggested.

"I had intended that from the start," Anna said. She looked to Tyler, who was still eating his steak. "There are still things that remain unanswered for me," she muttered to Bryce. "He speaks of things I don't understand, and his eyes... something tells me he's more than what's on the surface."

"Yet he clearly trusts you," Bryce told her. "Else he wouldn't be here."

"Clearly," Anna responded, never taking her eyes off Tyler. Bryce moved away from Anna and directed one final aside at Tyler.

"Don't worry about the paperwork - we'll take care of that. In case no one told you, welcome to our world." And after that, he was out the door.

**{{{{{ }}}}}**

After Bryce left, Anna breathed a sigh of relief, and looked back to Tyler in time to see him put away his weapon and continue eating. "Ballsy move, waving your gun around in the Chief of Police's face," she commented.

"Near as I can tell, I only showed him I have it. I didn't point it at him, and I certainly didn't threaten him with it," Tyler said.

"Do you have any other... guns?" Anna asked.

"Yes," Tyler answered. "From Assault Rifles to Sniper Rifles, Disruptors, Plasma Rifles... take your pick." Anna paused. If what Tyler was saying was true, he kept a fully-stocked  _ armory _ in his gauntlets. She remembered him talking about it on the way over here, in that hushed tone. Transporter Buffers, he called them.

Tyler finished his steak, and headed to the living room, where he found a nice, open spot, called up his sleeping bag. Anna wanted to offer him a real bed, but knew she hadn't one to spare. She stared at him for a while longer, then went to her bedroom, and settled in to bed herself

_ You made a buddy, _ she thought to herself.


	2. Episode Two: Echoes And Visions

Episode Two

Echoes And Visions

Anna had a good sleep, but when she awakened, she heard a voice in the living room. She almost forgot that since last night, she wasn't alone in the apartment anymore. She wondered who Tyler would be talking to. She got up, and headed out as Tyler kept muttering in that language of his. She considered waking him up, but before she could, Tyler awoke with a shrill, terrified scream as he awakened on his own. Anna took cover behind the kitchen counter, but listened to Tyler's heavy, uneven breathing as she imagined him looking around, trying to remember where he was and how he got here. There was a pause before she heard him speak to her. "It's alright, Anna - you can come out from under the counter." Anna slowly poked her head up, and saw he wasn't facing her. Indeed, he was actually looking out the window. "I'm sorry if I woke you," he croaked in apology.

"You didn't," Anna told him. "I came out here because I heard you talking in your sleep. Must have been having one hell of a nightmare."

Tyler heaved a trembling sigh. "You're not wrong," he affirmed. Anna frowned slightly.

"Are... are you alright?" she asked hesitantly.

There was a long pause before Tyler's head moved up, and he stood tall. "I'll be fine," he said, his tone cold with a touch of malice in it. He turned to face Anna, his expression serious and almost... angry. "What's on the agenda for today?"

It took a moment for Anna to respond. "Well, I left a few things at my lab last night, so I need to visit the Production Facility to get them and check on a few things. After that, I was thinking we hit up a local cafe and have at least some coffee." Tyler's expression didn't change in the slightest as he processed this, then he closed his eyes and breathed a short, sharp sigh.

"Very well. Let me collect my effects and we can be on our way."

Anna was about to tell him, "Good little human," but thought better of it. She just met the man, and given his sudden change in tone and composure compared to what she dealt with last night, she surmised he'd take offense to that. Call it a hunch. She watched as he dematerialized that sleeping bag, then collected the pistol that had been laying under the head rest. As he materialized a black, hooded cloak, she wondered if that pistol had been beneath his pillow the entire night. Was he that paranoid? Anna remembered the traps and noisemakers she found in the alley when she met him - between that and what that pistol was loaded with - armor-piercing ammunition - Anna suspected he was expecting something. A threat only he was aware of. And he expected them to come for him at night, when he was sleeping. But that begged the question - who was he hiding or running from? And why did they want him dead? Only Tyler could answer those questions. And Anna decided it wise not to press for that information just as she had met him. When he was ready, Tyler motioned his arm toward the door. Anna wordlessly acknowledged, heading for the door and allowing him out. Tyler exited Anna's apartment as he drew the hood of his cloak over his head, making him appear akin to the dark wraiths in horror shows and movies. She could see nothing beneath his cloak, save for his face. In an effort to make conversation, Anna asked, "So, Tyler... do you have any... non-military tech in those Transporter Buffers of yours?"

"A lot," Tyler answered in monotone. "Medical, civilian, industrial... take your pick."

The mention of Medical tech got Anna's attention - namely because that's what she'd been working on lately. Could it be that Tyler held the key to what she'd been trying to accomplish? "Medical tech," she said. "What kinds?"

There was a pause before Tyler made his response. "The medical tech I have I developed on my own, with aid from the Force - but the technology itself, I based on Borg Nanoprobes."

"Nanoprobes? So, like Nanotechnology?" Anna asked, incredulous. "You developed that on your own?"

"With aid from the Force, yes," Tyler answered.

"What is the Force?" Anna inquired, rather curious as to the nature of this "Force" Tyler kept referencing.

"The Force is a difficult thing to describe, let alone understand," Tyler explained. "It's often described as a mystical energy field that is made up of all living things. It's energy surrounds us and binds us, but for some, it has... other effects. Take me, for example. Long ago, I learned to create things through the Force."

"You could actually... make things, with the Force?" Anna asked, bewildered at the very idea of it, but at the same time having a hard time figuring out how it was possible. She'd never heard of anything like that before.

"Yes," Tyler responded. "It's been done before - by a machine. The Star Forge. It could create anything by harnessing the Force. The powers - and mysteries - of the Force are limitless, as are the applications."

This gave Anna an idea. "And you used this power to create Nanoprobes," she said. "Could these Nanoprobes be used to tackle tough diseases?"

Tyler remained silent for a while, and several times, Anna thought he'd left her side as they walked. But every time she looked behind her, he was still there, his face staring her down, but portraying deep thought. Finally, he made a response. "I'm beginning to sense the Force wanted us to meet for a reason."

"How so?" Anna asked.

"Given the questions you've been asking, I feel you're involved in research most others would be hesitant to approach," Tyler explained. "And I imagine you've hit a wall with something. So, I suspect we met for a reason: You need something for your research that will help you solve the problem you face. And I happen to have it. It'll take time to confirm it as working, but it seems we can help each other out."

Anna stopped and faced Tyler. Was he actually offering to help? "You still haven't answered my question," she told him.

Tyler's head moved slightly to the side, but his eyes never left hers. "Theoretically, yes. But we must be extraordinarily careful - this kind of tech can be dangerous if it fell into the wrong hands. I derived the Nanoprobes from Borg Nanoprobes - the Borg were well-known for ravaging any race that attracted their attention, and even tampering with technology derived from theirs presents great risk. I don't know if this world is in a 'verse that has any Borg living in it, so until I do know, we must be cautious."

"What do you propose?" Anna asked, already liking where this was going.

"I'll need to set up some subspace inhibitors in your lab - that should keep our work from attracting the Collective's attention. Once that's done, I will replicate Nanoprobes for you to study - so long as I know what they're being used for. I already escaped one corrupt faction that would have done anything to get their hands on my tech, I don't need to escape from another," Tyler said.

Anna shrugged. This seemed fair. But for reasons she didn't understand, she threw in a bonus: "You'll need a place to stay," she told him.

"I have no money, hence why I was sleeping in the street," Tyler stated.

"I didn't ask for any, did I?" Anna countered. Tyler looked taken aback, but it barely showed on his face. But, by all indications, he understood what Anna implied.

"You sure about that?" he asked. "Working with someone is one thing;  _ living _ with them is still quite another."

"If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't have made the offer," Anna said. Tyler paused, nodding his head slightly as he considered this.

"Very well," he said. "I will coordinate my efforts with yours. But we should get moving - we have a lot to do." Anna and Tyler started walking again, and before long, got to the production facility where Anna worked. Anna waved her status as the facility manager around to the personnel at the front entrance, and was able to get Tyler through the door. It was as they were about to round one corner that Anna's coworker - Damion - left from an adjacent room. He looked over, spotted Anna and Tyler, and a frown appeared on his face.

"Another experiment,  _ Anna _ ?" he asked with evident hostility.

"Leave him alone, Damion," Anna told him. "I gave you what you wanted, so we're even."

"We're a long way from even, Anna," Damion sneered. He looked to Tyler. "Where did this 'human' come from, anyway?"

"That's none of your concern," Anna responded. She and Tyler pushed past Damion, and he made another comment:

"Wouldn't surprise me if this thing had a disease or something - I'd get myself checked, if I were you." Anna kept walking, but when she looked back at Tyler, she discovered he wasn't close behind - he stopped at Damion's comment. "Oh, what's wrong, human? Did I touch a--" Damion began, but was cut off suddenly by a dull rumble. Anna looked to Tyler and saw he was visibly angry - and that his right hand was twisted in what looked to be a three-fingered pinching gesture. Curiously enough, Damion seemed unable to finish his sentence - in fact, it looked as though he were  _ choking _ . His hands grasped at his throat for whatever it was that was strangling him, but he was unable to dislodge whatever it was that was there. Anna immediately made the connection. The Force could be both a tool... and a  _ weapon _ . Tyler turned slowly toward Damion, making his gesture clearly visible, and spoke in a deep, menacing voice that was not his,

"I'm normally a very kind and understanding person, but one thing I will not tolerate, is  _ insolence! _ " He tightened that gesture, putting more pressure on Damion.  _ "Insult me again, and you will learn in the worst of ways that you are  _ far _ from the most dangerous creature in this 'verse! And if you don't believe me..." _ he again tightened this gesture, bringing Damion to his knees, making Anna glad they were the only ones here.  _ "... try me." _ Tyler then turned away, dropping his hand and releasing the gesture, and walked toward Anna briskly, and Anna saw and heard Damion gasp in air. She considered adding her own comment, but decided not to, and walked after Tyler.

"I'm sorry you had to deal with that," Anna apologized as she and Tyler got to her lab. "Damion's always been an asshole, but I didn't think he'd openly insult a random stranger."

"Your... coworker... needs to learn to better control himself, and what he says," Tyler said as he finished putting one device in a ceiling corner of her lab. "Where I'm from, bullshit like that can get you fired... and often killed."

"I'm sure," Anna said. Tyler finished with one corner, activated the device, and then moved on to another. Anna looked to the doorway as she continued, "So how did you--" She stopped midsentence when she saw Maverick standing in the doorway. Since he'd married Anna's half-sister, he'd lightened up considerably - thanks to Shea's influence - but he still got that disapproving look when Anna did something he felt was reckless. However, she didn't see this look on her brother-in-law's face - rather, he seemed... curious. Or was it amused? She couldn't tell. But then, she realized it wasn't  _ her _ he was looking at...

**{{{{{ }}}}}**

Tyler was busy installing the second subspace inhibitor in the second corner when he heard Anna's comment - or rather, how she cut herself off. The reason was explained when a slight tremor in the Force alerted him to the presence of another. Tyler was immediately defensive. The dragon in the doorway was too close for his pistol; he'd be on top of him before he could even draw it. So, he called up one of his lightsabers beneath the cover of his cloak, prayed the dragon's hide wasn't energy-resistant, and craned his head to look back at the light-scaled dragon.

"You really put some fear into my sister-in-law's coworker," the dragon said, his tone having a masculine quality to it. "He's so terrified of you, he refuses to press charges and openly admits he provoked it. Anna did tell him to leave you alone, and even if he  _ did _ press charges, he knows he has no proof. I don't know how you strangled him like that without putting so much as a finger on him, but it's my opinion that arrogant, over-ambitious prick deserved it." The dragon smiled. "You have my thanks, for putting him in his place for Anna's sake." He paused, then offered a hand. "I'm Maverick. Chief Bryce and Minister Emera both asked me to protect you for a while." Tyler slowly turned to face Maverick, hesitating for a moment before that vicious, malicious visage on his face vanished as he adopted a more diplomatic look. He clipped the lightsaber to his belt and took Maverick's hand in his own for a handshake.

"I suppose you already know who I am," he told him.

"Getting there," Maverick responded. He cast a glance down and Tyler assumed he noticed his lightsaber. "Nifty little tool you got there."

Tyler smiled and brushed a hand on his weapon. "Quite," he agreed. "Even when inactive, it can diffuse a potentially-volatile situation."

"That sounds like firsthand experience talking," Maverick commented. Tyler couldn't help but chuckle.

"It is..." he said as he took two steps back. He unclipped the weapon from his belt and activated it. Instantly, an imperial crimson blade sprang from the hilt with a  _ snap-hiss! _ "... because where I'm from, most people know what kind of weapon this is and how dangerous the warrior wielding it can be." Contrary to being frightened, Maverick seemed intrigued - as did Anna. It was Maverick who spoke first.

"Then you are fortunate to have such a weapon, let alone that you know how to use it." He cast a glance at the subspace inhibitor at the corner, then looked to Anna. "New experiment?"

"Same experiment, different approach. Those are merely... security precautions," Anna responded, seeming somewhat evasive. Tyler suspected there was something about this research she didn't want known even to her own family. But Tyler refused to pry; not now. She doubtlessly had her reasons.

"Security precautions against what?" Maverick asked.

"Against attracting the attention of a threat none of you would be able to face," Tyler said before Anna could. "Until I know if they even exist in this 'verse..." he nodded to the subspace inhibitor. "Those will keep us from attracting  _ their _ attention."

"And who are 'they', if I may ask?" Maverick asked.

"Cyborgs from elsewhere in the universe," Tyler answered. "I can say no more than that, other than any kind of advanced technology tends to... attract them. Like carrion birds to fresh meat."

Maverick raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised you're taking such precautions  _ at all _ , Anna, let alone going to these lengths," he said, his tone impressed.

"Is this the part where you rat me out to the council?" Anna asked irritatedly.

"Rat you out?" Maverick repeated. "Hell no! I can't do that when you're taking these lengths to be safe! Even the council would appreciate that!"

"Even so, there is no need for them to know at present," Tyler stated.

"Oh, I see," Maverick chuckled. "Don't want to give false hope."

"That and I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea, let alone see... other uses," Tyler agreed. He then remembered he had his lightsaber active, and switched it off, then clipped it to his belt.

"So these... cyborgs. Who or what are they?" Maverick asked.

"Officially, they're nothing. They don't exist until proven otherwise, and the council doesn't need to know anything about them. That said, off the record..." Tyler paused, weighing if this was necessary, but decided it best if they knew what he knew. "... they're known as the Borg Collective. Ruthless collection of cyborgs driven by the desire to consume technology in their relentless pursuit of perfection. They've ravaged countless races and worlds, and I do not wish this world to be added to that list. So until I have definitive proof they are not here, in this 'verse, that's what the subspace inhibitors are for; they will keep our experiments from being detected by them."

"Wait... is that what you came here fleeing?" Maverick asked with a concerned frown. "From these... Borg?"

Immediately after being hit by that question, Tyler remembered the nightmare from the night before - the night terror that had haunted his sleep ever since that night it all happened. The flashes. The explosions. The ground quaking beneath him. The ash in the skies. And the screams... He shuddered visibly before he shook his head. "... no," he said softly. "I was fleeing from a cataclysm caused by a threat much closer to home than the Borg ever could have been." He then returned to work on the inhibitors, trying to shake the memories from his head...

**{{{{{ }}}}}**

Maverick was both impressed and concerned. Yes, this man was intelligent - just as intelligent as Anna, and with double the sense of safety, but he clearly had history. Something he held back, a burden that weighed him down. Something had happened to this guy. Maverick knew what that was like. And it made Maverick want to know what it was. He looked to Anna, who subtly shook her head.  _ Don't _ . Maverick approached Anna and whispered, "I know  _ where _ you found him, but is there anything he's not saying?"

"No," Anna whispered back. "At least, nothing he's told me. I'm convinced something happened to him before he came here; and whatever it is, it gives him nightmares."

"Given the look on his face when I asked him about what he was running from, I figured that much," Maverick admitted. "But what could it be?"

"I think that this cataclysm he keeps referencing is something he saw firsthand, and he knows who did it," Anna murmured. "But don't talk to him about it. I only just--" When Tyler spoke again, it was in a language Maverick thought he'd never hear from a human:

_ "One does not witness the death of a world and emerge from the experience... unscathed..." _ Maverick was stunned. How did he know that language? He leaned to whisper in Anna's ear.

_ "I think you're right,"  _ was all he said.

It was then that Tyler cried out, fell to the floor, dropping his tools, and clutched his head. His skin turned ten shades of white and he shook violently. Maverick and Anna both rushed to his side, and noticed his eyes moved so rapidly, looking for something they couldn't discern, and his face looked absolutely  _ terrified _ . He managed to get on his hands and knees, and just before this strange occurrence ended, he vomited on the floor. After coughing and heaving a trembling sigh, he produced a towel from somewhere in his cloak and wiped up his mess with shaking hands. Before he did, however, Anna noted the color - it was a phosphoric green, and it seemed to glow. Tyler was silent for several moments longer, before resuming work on the inhibitors. Anna and Maverick both noted his deathly silence, staring at him with confusion and worry. Just what was it that just happened? Was he sick?

"I'm not sick," he finally said, as though summoned by this mental speculation. "Extreme visions sometimes do that to me."

"Extreme visions?" Anna asked. "What did you see?"

"I'm not sure - but both of you were there, and there was an explosion," Tyler answered. Anna and Maverick exchanged worried looks. An explosion? How? Did they survive?

"Bad?" Maverick asked.

"I don't know," Tyler admitted. "I only got a brief glimpse. And just for a split second..." he stopped for no clear reason.

"What?" Maverick queried. Tyler paused, then shook his head.

"Never mind. Don't worry about it - just flashes of fear from a man who saw more than his fair share of death."

Maverick was again looking to Anna, who shook her head.  _ He will tell us when he's ready. _ She turned and resumed what she was doing earlier, and when Tyler finished installing the subspace inhibitors and had them active, he produced a series of vials and offered them to Anna. "These are what we will use as the base Nanoprobes - we will program them to our specifications, then turn them on what we see fit and go from there."

"So they require programming," Anna surmised. "How are we going to do that?"

Tyler materialized a strange computer terminal and set it on a free space on the counter. "This terminal should streamline the effort. First thing, we need a sample of whatever we are hoping to cure."

Anna hesitated fractionally before responding, "I can get them. It'll take a bit, but I'll get them." Tyler nodded, then looked around the room.

"Well, that's all that needs doing at present - subspace inhibitors are active, and the computer terminal we'll boot up when we're ready," he said. He touched a hand to his head and closed his eyes. His breathing was heavy and distinctly draconic, which made Maverick frown. Bryce was right. Dragon eyes, now dragon breathing - something definitely was beneath the visage of a human in the man now before him. Now Maverick was convinced he wasn't entirely human.

"Well, I don't know about either of you, but I didn't eat breakfast this morning - mind a bite to eat?" Maverick asked.

"Yeah, I kinda rushed here before grabbing any coffee. What about you, Tyler? Mind some break... fast..." Anna's speech slowed, and Maverick noticed what she did. Moisture, creeping out from beneath his eyelid. Was he... crying?

"Are you alright?" Maverick asked.

Tyler's face suddenly contorted into an expression of anger. But his voice was slightly trembling but still even when he spoke. "I'll be fine. Just a headache." When he opened those yellow eyes, there was a small line of moisture at the bottom, and he walked past Anna and Maverick before they could really see anything else. He stopped just shy of the doorway. "I spotted a cafe not far from here on the way over - if they're open, we could go there, but I have no money to speak of."

"Not yet, at any rate," came the rumbling, deep voice of Bryce. This evidently startled Tyler, as in a flash, he leapt from the doorway to the other end of the room, brought out his weapon, and it flared to life with that iconic hiss. He held his weapon combat ready, and looked like he was about to lunge when he stopped at Bryce's voice. "Hey, hey! Hey! It's okay! It's me! We met last night!" Tyler evidently then recognized Bryce, and nearly slumped over as he relaxed. His weapon deactivated, and he stood up straight.

"Please,  _ don't _ do that again," Tyler requested. He steadied himself on a nearby counter as he clipped his weapon to his belt. Again, he held his hand on his head, keeping his eyes closed. And this time, Maverick saw tears drop from his face. Maverick went to approach him, but Anna and Bryce were faster. Anna gently put hands on his shoulders, and Bryce spoke.

"Hey... I didn't mean to startle you like that," he said. "Had I known--"

"It's not you!" Tyler almost shouted. After a heavy, trembling breath, he added in a substantially softer tone, "It wasn't you... was never you... never them..." His voice dropped almost to a whisper.  _ "It was always me... always me... me..." _

"Easy, son," Bryce tried to console him. He looked to Bryce and Anna. "Did someone else attack him on the way here?" he asked. Anna shook her head.

"Not physically," Maverick said. "But Anna's coworker, Damion, hurled unwarranted insults at him, but that's already been dealt with."

"Then what has him on edge?" Bryce asked.

"Live as long as I have, see the things I've seen, then tell me you're not so jumpy you'd decapitate someone that reached out to hug you!" Tyler snapped. He was standing up at this point, his hands wide and held back in a stance that reflected rage, his eyes filled with a malevolent anger.

"Easy, sir - I know you've been through hell. And I fully realize that might be an understatement to you - but we are trying to help you. Just calm down," Bryce told him. His fists tightened, and his face started to twitch.

"Earlier, you mentioned a cafe you spotted?" Anna inquired. This gave Tyler pause, and his hands slowly returned to his side. His face stopped twitching, and he breathed a deep breath, again with that draconic rumble.

"Yes," he finally said. "I... I'm sorry. It's just..."

"It's okay - the fault is mine; I startled you," Bryce apologized. "And I fully realize that a cataclysm would be a terrifying thing to see."

Tyler sighed, and again started for the door.  _ "It's far worse than you realize,"  _ Maverick heard him say in that language. Bryce frowned, evidently not recognizing this language. He donned the hood of his cloak and walked out the door. 

Bryce looked to Maverick and Anna and asked, "What did he say?"

"He said that it's far worse than you realize," Maverick responded. This time, Anna frowned.

"Wait, you can understand that language?" she asked.

"Yes - I remembered it because Miles and I took classes of it early on. It's an ancient Dragon dialect that hasn't been spoken in centuries. We were lucky to get the class, too - the language stopped being taught the year after we graduated that grade. Miles and I used it to communicate in secret, before... you know," Maverick explained.

"So... before that vision of his, what did he say then?" Anna asked.

"He said that 'one does not witness the death of a world and emerge from the experience unscathed.' Something tells me this guy has been through more than the wringer," Maverick responded.

"Indeed, it seems that, whatever happened to the world he came from, he was there to witness it firsthand," Bryce surmised. He looked to the doorway, then added, "We better catch up with him; I came here to tell him the council set up his starting resources, but the money will take a bit to clear the bank." The three dragons headed out of the hall in time to see Tyler's cloak disappear around the corner at the other end of the hall. Maverick paused fractionally before following him with Anna and Bryce. Was he listening to the conversation, or was he lost in memories?

**{{{{{ }}}}}**

The more Anna spoke with Tyler, the more was revealed to her. More than ever, she believed that whatever happened to him haunts him, and now, she had reason to believe he was tormented, night after night, day after day. Tormented by memories of what he had and how it was all taken from him. It jerked at heart strings she didn't realize she had. And she now knew she had something of an influence on him. She mattered to him, though to what extent was not clear. This made her feel what Tyler felt - that they met for a reason. More than a chance to coordinate with each other. The reason drove much deeper than that. But Anna wondered just what the future had for them. When she, Bryce and Maverick finally caught up with Tyler, he'd just exited the production facility. Not a word was said as he moved to the cafe he spoke of before. Once inside, he sat down at a table, and Anna felt Maverick bump her.

"Maybe we should give him some space," he suggested. Anna nodded, and she, Bryce and Maverick sat at an adjacent table. A yellow-scaled flier approached him, and thankfully, he didn't react the way he did with Bryce. The flier stayed with him for a a couple minutes, going so far as to put her claws on his shoulder in a friendly gesture of what Anna took as sympathy. She eventually nodded, and then looked to Bryce, Maverick and Anna. She approached them, and then asked, "Did you guys tell him you were covering his tab?"

"Yes," Bryce spoke. "What did he order?"

"Just a large steak and coffee," the flier responded. "Anyway, my name's Adine. What can I get you all?"

"I'll have a steak and a soda," Bryce requested.

"Meat snacks for me - and a soda," Maverick added. Anna, who'd never taken her eyes off Tyler, hesitated before making her order: "Scrambled eggs and bacon with some coffee." Adine nodded, looked between Tyler and Anna, then asked,

"Is he alright? He seems sad."

"You wouldn't believe us if we told you," Anna told her.

"Namely because we only have a few scraps of information," Maverick added. "But from what we do know... he's had a rough time of it." Adine nodded slowly, then headed off to take care of the orders. Anna couldn't keep her eyes off Tyler. He was hunched over, leaning on the table, head in one hand, the other resting across the table. She may have only known him for a matter of hours, but Anna couldn't take it. She had to do  _ something _ .

"We need to help him," she whispered to the others.

"We are," Bryce said.

"He needs some space, Anna," Maverick stated. "I was the same way when Miles died."

"He may seem like that, but context clues say different," Anna stated.

"What context clues?" Bryce asked.

"Things he said," Anna responded. "'Live as long as I have, see the things I've seen,' he said. He may seem like he wants to be alone, but something tells me he's been alone too long; needs the company - he needs people around him."

Bryce frowned. "Since when did you have a heart?"

"Since a total stranger saved my life from a half-dozen blue-light bandits and listened to me when he wouldn't to anyone else," Anna stated quietly, but sharply. "You saw it, Bryce. He trusts me. Let us show him I'm not the only one he can trust." Maverick hesitated, but nodded in agreement, then motioned Tyler's direction. Bryce smiled, then flashed a thumbs-up, before they all got up and approached Tyler. "Care for some company?" Anna asked him softly.

Tyler didn't even look at her, eyes still closed. "I'm surprised you'd even approach me, given my earlier display."

"You were startled," Anna said. "Happens to all of us."

"Not that," Tyler sighed. "Me. Getting emotional."

"Being emotional isn't a crime," Bryce stated. "And given what you've been through, we figured you'd like some company."

Tyler heaved a long sigh.  _ "You have no idea how true that is," _ he spouted in that draconic tongue.

_ "If that is true, why do you speak of it like you wish to hide it? Are you so afraid of letting others close to you?" _ came Maverick's response in that same language. This elicited a more noticeable response from Tyler, who opened his eyes and lifted his head to look at Maverick. But this was followed by a soft huff, and his head sank back into his hand.

"Of course you speak Dragon. Why wouldn't you?" he murmured.

"Honestly, it's almost a forgotten language here," Maverick told him. "But if you so long for company, why push us away? Why distance yourself from us?"

"I wasn't the one who left me alone at this table," Tyler growled.

"You still could've come sit with us," Bryce commented.

"And you could have done the same for me," Tyler countered. "So who's to say who's really at fault here? It's a two way street. Besides... you aren't the first to make the mistake of thinking I want to be alone. You aren't the first to try and distance yourselves from me. And you sure as hell won't be the last."

Anna slowly sat down next to Tyler. "And that's what we're trying to correct. Don't shut us out. Don't push us away." She paused, letting her words sink in. "We know you've been through hell. We know it's given you nightmares. We don't expect you to tell us all about it when we just met you. But we're here for you."

"Kind words. I've heard them before," Tyler hissed, albeit not as severely as Anna might have expected. "And every time, it was a ploy to lure me into a trap."

"Yet here you are, being offered the same thing, and you see yourself this is no trap," Anna countered.

"Exactly," Tyler said. "And that scares the shit out of me. When something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. I've only known you a matter of hours. Yet you so willingly and compulsively offer me a home, a job..." He paused to wipe away tears. "... here I am, surrounded by the creatures I adore the most... surrounded by Dragons... and I'm so scared, I feel like a Romulan in a room full of angry Klingons."

Anna placed a hand on his. "I know what that's like - not knowing who you can trust. I know it's not easy to believe, but I've been where you are. And I know how deep it hurts. Whatever happened, we're here for you."

"Listen to her, pal," Bryce supported her. "We're on your side. Council's already approved your starting resources, just gotta give it a bit to clear the bank."

Tyler looked up at everyone with those tear-filled eyes. "Why?" he asked. "Why are you helping me?"

"Because here on our world, everyone matters - even a human from another world," Maverick told him as he took an adjacent seat. Bryce followed suit.

"We don't expect you to immediately open up to us... but when you're ready, we're here for you," Bryce assured him. Tyler hesitated, looking over the everyone present. Even at Adine, standing there with plates in hand filled with steaming food. His gaze settled on Bryce.

"Can you tell me something... off the record?" he asked quietly as Adine slowly served the food.

"I can't promise anything, but I can try. What do you want to know?" Bryce answered. In response, Tyler reached into his cloak and retrieved a small, rectangular metal plate and slid it to Bryce. What immediately struck Anna was that the metal bore a familiar logo of a red-colored XII. Anna realized she'd seen that before - one of the blue-light bandits had that tattooed on his neck.

Tyler tapped a finger to that piece and asked, "Have you ever come across that symbol before?"

Bryce picked it up and examined the piece, then looked up at Tyler. "Can't say that I have. Why?"

Tyler breathed a trembling sigh that Anna recognized as relief. "I... would prefer not to discuss who they are. All I will say... is that they... caused..."

Anna immediately made the connection, and was the first to voice it. "They were the ones that caused the cataclysm." Tyler nodded in affirmation.

"If that's the case, do you mind if I keep this in evidence? It'll be proof you have a valid reason for fleeing here," Bryce said.

Tyler hesitated for a moment, then softly replied, "Take it. If they are not here, then I have no further use for that." And began digging into his meal. Anna quickly scribbled a note on a piece of paper while Tyler was fixated on his food, then passed it to Maverick and motioned her head to Bryce. Maverick passed the note to Bryce, who read it, then looked to Anna and gave a subtle nod. With that, the group moved on to trying to help Tyler cheer up a little, or at the very least, get his mind off his troubles for a bit, all while wondering about this human with dragon eyes...


	3. Episode Three: Signs

Episode Three

Signs

Bryce was notably disturbed by the note Anna passed to him at the Cafe a few days ago:  _ "I've seen that mark before; one of the blue-light bandits had it tattooed on his neck. Might want to look into that." _ Given the nature of the message, Bryce felt it was something Anna didn't want Tyler to know. And given how much pain he was in, Bryce could sympathize with that. Poor guy had been through enough. Unfortunately, interrogating the prisoners from that night didn't yield any useful information - just the same ranting about "those who rule the world in majesty" or some shit. Bryce held on to the metal plate with the XII logo on it, and had it with him as he walked into the library. At one desk was Remy, Minister Emera's aide and a knowledgeable dragon. Nearby was a diminutive, light-blue colored flier dragon.

"... yes, actually, we do have that book," Remy told him. "It was just checked back in."

"Sweet!" the little blue dragon cheered. Remy looked up from his computer and saw Bryce.

"Oh! Hello! I wasn't expecting you here, Bryce," Remy said.

"I was hoping to enlist your aid, Remy," Bryce said. "I need information on a specific group, and it may have something to do with Humans."

"I'll tell you whatever I can," Remy assured him. "What do you want to know?"

Bryce retrieved the metal plate, and showed it to Remy. "I'm looking for information on the group that bears this symbol." Remy took the metal piece, and frowned on examining it.

"Can't say I've seen this symbol before," he admitted. "Where'd you get this?"

"From our human who came here fleeing a reported cataclysm - he says that was their logo, and that they caused the cataclysm he came here fleeing," Bryce explained. Remy nodded solemnly.

"Let me see what our archives can tell us," he stated, setting the piece down on the counter. It was as he was accessing the archives that the little blue dragon took the piece and examined the logo.

"Wait a sec, I've seen this logo before," he said. Bryce looked down at the little dragon.

"You have?" he asked, "Where?"

"My roommate's sister; she lives in an adjacent city, and the police there did a raid, and found it and a lot of other stuff," the dragon responded. "Here, let me show you." He reached into his bag and got a tablet, and fiddled with it before showing Bryce an article from the aforementioned neighboring city. The article detailed how police there raided a suspected terrorist hideout, but while no one was there to capture, police did find a wealth of items left behind - one of those items was a flag bearing a red-colored XII. Armor recovered at the site also bore this same symbol, and a number of weapons were also recovered, as well as material that was believed to be intended to make a bomb of unprecedented power.  _ Intriguing _ , Bryce thought.

"So, who are these people?" Bryce asked.

"No one knows," the dragon answered. "But their pattern suggests that, whoever they are, they're no strangers to clandestine operations; they operate in the shadows."

"Have you ever come across mention of 'they who rule the world in majesty'?" Bryce asked.

"That's their motto - 'We are those that rule the world in Majesty.' A lot of conspiracy theorists suspect they intend to take over our world," the dragon stated.

"Those are just that, Lorem - theories," Remy told the dragon.

"But he has a point - it fits this shadowy group," came Emera's voice from nearby. Bryce, Lorem and Remy all looked over to see Minister Emera approaching from the direction of the book shelves. "I assume you have reason to believe that they're connected to mister Horgus?"

"Actually, I suspect Mister Horgus has had prior clashes with this group," Bryce said. "According to his testimony, they were the ones that caused the cataclysm he came here fleeing. Anna was the one who alerted me that they may be active here, though I don't yet know to what extent."

"I see," Emera stated. "Is there any reason to believe mister Horgus is involved with them?"

"No, minister - if anything, I'd venture to opine that Tyler has more reason to hate them than anyone on this planet," Bryce responded. "When he alerted me of them, he seemed unwilling to go into detail of their crimes. Anna, Maverick and I all strongly suspect he witnessed firsthand the cataclysm they caused; furthermore, he seemed relieved when I admitted I knew nothing of this group."

Emera raised an eyebrow. "He doesn't know they're here?" she asked.

"After what he's been through, Minister... I didn't want to cause him any more pain. Anna alerted me to their connection here via a note. She didn't want to cause him any more pain. Even Maverick was trying to avoid that," Bryce said.

Emera nodded, contemplating something, then looked straight at Bryce. "Let's keep it that way - for now. Keep him believing his enemy is not here as long we can, until it becomes painfully obvious."

"That may not go over as well as you think with him, Minister," Bryce warned her. "He may be very cross with us if he finds out we knew something and didn't tell him."

"But you said it yourself in your initial report of him - had he wanted to harm any of us, he would have done so. He was armed. I imagine he still is. He made that clear to you. Had he wished any of us harm, we'd know. Instead, he seems cooperative. Yes, he may be cross when he finds out - but I think he'll understand our reasoning."

"I think some of the dragons here have been helping these guys, too," Lorem said. "My roommate and I both have been visited by guys with this logo tattooed on them - said they were with a secret branch of the police, wanted to know if we spotted anyone unusual lately. Even asked what kind of work we do and if we know anyone that's into specific fields of research and development."

Bryce frowned with concern. Something definitely was up. But it was Emera who spoke first.

"Alright, not a word of this leaves this library - we have thousands of people here, and I don't need a public in panic."

"I can agree there," Remy said. He looked to Bryce. "Better take that logo and hide it somewhere - whoever these guys are, let's not give them reason to believe we're on to them."

"Yeah, and I'll alert you if they come by again," Lorem stated, handing the metal plate back to Bryce.

"One last thing, Lorem - did you ever hear a name to these guys?" Bryce asked.

Lorem shook his head. "No... unless you count MJ12 a name," he replied.

"MJ12?" Bryce repeated.

"That's what the guys that visited my roommate and I identified themselves as," Lorem said.

"Every little bit helps - thank you," Bryce said. He then turned to leave when Emera spoke to him.

"What's our mister Horgus doing now?"

"From what I know, he's coordinating with Anna at the production facility - and they're both taking extraordinarily advanced safety precautions. If their work succeeds, Anna may get the recognition she seeks," Bryce answered. He then headed out the door and started for the police station.

**{{{{{ }}}}}**

While Tyler went about the fine-tuning Anna's programming with Nanoprobes to attack cancerous cells, Anna went away from her lab to the cafe to get some coffee for the both of them. She had to admit, it was... unique, working with Tyler. He certainly was knowledgeable. Intelligent. Wise beyond his years. It was like talking to a much older person - or a man with an IQ exactly like hers. Who knew about things like Nanotechnology and being able to meld science with something as spiritual and religious as the Force? She also felt his affinity with the Force was fascinating; from what he told her while programming the Nanoprobes, the Force affected everyone - even those who could not feel it, like her. There are also signs of what he called Force-Sensitivity. He asked Anna if she ever did anything she couldn't explain, or something that seemed magical. Admittedly, she had no such experience, and it made her feel like something she never considered herself to be - ordinary. Normal. Then came the discussion of what she was trying to cure with the Nanoprobes. She tried to dance around the subject, but it didn't fool him; she was forced to tell him she was trying to cure cancer, but she left out the detail that she, herself, had it. She didn't want to appear any more selfish than she already had been. He just gave her this curious look, then shrugged and said, "Okay," like it was nothing. He went on to speculate that Nanoprobes could be programmed to continually hunt and eliminate cancerous cells and carcinogenic agents, like it was a discussion a doctor would have with a patient. There were times she could swear he knew. Still, with the programming going the way it was, Anna decided to get them both some coffee.

It was on her way back that she ran into trouble. She was passing by one alley, taking the back way into the facility when A runner dragon wearing what looked to be a utility belt approached her. "You the one named Anna?" the runner asked. Anna nodded. "We have orders to take you in - come quietly, and we won't have to get rough."

Great. Another blue-light bandit. But what immediately struck Anna was the tattoo on his bicep - that same red XII symbol. Who were these guys? "And what do you intend to do for me if I don't cooperate?" Anna asked, playing for time.

"Well, if you'll forgive me for resorting to the cliche, you die, of course. Or just get severely beaten," the runner told her.

"You and what army?" Anna scoffed.

"Me and the army of those who rule the world in majesty," the runner said, his voice almost droning, like that of a member of a brainwashed cult. He immediately afterward drew a pistol.

_ Dammit, Tyler, where are you? _ Anna thought. "You really think you're gonna get away with this?"

"We've been getting away with it for some time," the runner told her. "Last chance - surrender or die!"

Anna felt a warm surge in her spine, and took it as a sign that Tyler was close by. "I'll take option three, and watch as my friend beats you to within an inch of your life," she said. The runner scoffed, then pointed his weapon at Anna. The instant that weapon went up, Tyler appeared out of nowhere, smacking the runner's hand with an elongated wooden bar, and knocking his pistol to the ground. He then forced the runner to turn around in an instant, kicked him into a wall, then smacked him over the head with enough force to knock him out. He turned to Anna, approached her, grabbed her by the arm, and forcibly moved her behind him as he moved to confront  _ another _ runner who came out from an adjacent doorway. He slammed the side of his open hand in his throat, causing him to recoil, then sent a punch to his belly and then kicked him to the ground, turning to attack a  _ third _ runner who appeared with a sidearm drawn. He grabbed the runner's wrist, dragged him to impact with the second runner, who was getting up, and knocked him over again, then twisted his arm and flipped him onto his back with ease, then confronted the second runner again with the pistol in hand; the runner grabbed for the pistol, and managed to slam Tyler against a wall, but he retaliated with a double punch across his face, stunning him, when a  _ fourth  _ runner appeared, and pointed a pistol at Tyler. Tyler used the third runner as a shield, and quickly advanced on the fourth, who was shifting his weapon about as though unsure where to point it, and Tyler trapped the arms holding the fourth runner's weapon between his comrade and a corner wall, where he quickly knocked the weapon out of his hand. He then slammed the stunned runner's head on the wall, and threw him aside like a rag doll, and sent a left hook, then a right, spun, and kicked the runner in the chest. The runner ran, tried to grab Tyler, but evidently realized then that, at that time, he had no backup. Tyler force-pushed him into a wall, advanced, threw a punch across his face, dodged a claw attack, took the arm that was used in the attack, whirled around and broke that arm across the back of his neck with an audible  _ crack! _ And before the runner could scream, took hold of him with the Force and slammed him against the wall with enough force to knock him out.

When Tyler looked to Anna, his face bore a malicious look that made her blood chill. He panted heavily, and with that huff that suggested she would be next, but when he approached her, he did what she didn't expect:

"Are you okay?" he asked her, the concern evident in her voice.

"I'm fine," Anna impulsively said. She paused, then asked, "How did you know I was in trouble?"

"The Force warned me you were in danger," he responded. "I had Maverick keep an eye on the equipment while I went to find you."

Anna was internally surprised. The Force warned him she was in trouble? It seemed to defy logical explanation. But then, she had heard of people who sensed their loved ones or friends were in trouble. And she was thankful Tyler got to her in time. It was when she snapped out of this mental speculation that she noticed he was looking at someone behind her. She turned around and saw Bryce there. "Nice moves, Tyler. Where'd you learn to fight like that?"

"Long story," Tyler responded. "I imagine you saw--"

"Oh, I saw it, alright - those men were threatening you and Anna with guns," Bryce cut him off. "I've got Sebastian and Naomi on their way to take this lot into custody."

"Might want to get that last guy's arm looked at - pretty sure I heard it snap during the fight," Tyler suggested.

"We will," Bryce assured him. He looked to Anna. "You sure know how to pick 'em, Anna."

Anna adopted an irritated look. "What's  _ that _ supposed to mean?"

Bryce raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me a woman as intelligent as you are doesn't recognize when a man is protective of you? You clearly mean a great deal to Tyler. So much so that he rushed to defend you when he sensed you were in trouble. That's a good man to have." Although Bryce's explanation was crude, Anna did admit, he had a point. But when she turned to talk to Tyler, she realized his expression had turned to one of melancholy.

"Are you alright?" she asked him. He looked to her, that malice from before gone, and told her,

"I lost a lot of people, that night. Good people that meant a lot to me. People I like to think I could have saved." He shook his head. "Never again. If I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die protecting those I care about - including the dragoness who took me in when I had nothing." And with that, headed off for the production facility.

"He'll be alright," Bryce assured Anna. "Now, do you know what those runners were after?"

"It seemed they were after me," Anna admitted. "I was kinda hoping you could tell me why."

"Admittedly, I know little more than you do," Bryce responded. "But I suspect they're from the same group that Tyler has clashed with."

"Who are they?" Anna asked.

"We don't know," Bryce responded as Sebastian and Naomi arrived.

"What do they want?" Anna queried.

"We don't know that, either," Bryce answered. "Only person who can tell us is Tyler, and we're trying to keep him from knowing they're here."

"There must be some way to get it out of him," Anna said.

"There is," Bryce affirmed. "And you've been making good progress on that point." Anna frowned, somewhat confused. "Befriend him," Bryce clarified, "get him to open up about it. He trusts you. You could get out of him who these people are and what they want better than anyone I know on the Force." Anna was shocked, but then, she realized that she had been befriending Tyler since she found him in that alley. And Bryce was right when he said Tyler seemed to trust her. But would that come across to him as being used? How would he react?

"I can't promise anything, but I'll try," Anna said.

"The coffee's a good start," Bryce chuckled. Anna looked down and realized she was still holding the cups of iced coffee. Tyler had recommended it, and Anna had a few sips on the way here. She looked between the cups and Bryce and nodded, and headed back toward the lab. When she entered the lab, Tyler was looking through a microscope with Maverick nearby.

"How do you like the iced coffee?" Tyler asked without looking away.

"It's surprisingly good, thank you for suggesting it," Anna openly admitted.

"Admittedly, I didn't know if that cafe did iced coffee," Tyler commented. "But I figured you and I both could use some."

"How'd you know I enjoy coffee?" Anna asked. This time, Tyler looked away from the microscope to look at her.

"I didn't," he said. He indicated the other cup. "That other one for Maverick?"

"No, actually, it's for you," Anna told him. "Mavers doesn't like coffee."

"Ever since that prank Richard pulled..." Maverick grumbled.

"Who?" Tyler asked.

"His cousin," Anna clarified as she handed Tyler the other cup of coffee. Tyler paused, then curled his lips and made a slight 'hnh' before sipping the coffee. "Anything interesting with the experiments?" Anna asked.

In response, Tyler moved aside. "See for yourself," he told her. Anna looked through the microscope, and saw the nanoprobes floating about in the sample.

"So... nanoprobes. What's so special here?" Anna asked.

"Not the nanoprobes that are special in that sample - notice what's not there?" Tyler countered. Anna looked, but wasn't sure what she was looking for. She looked at the slide, and noticed it was one that had a sample of cancerous cells. Or, it was supposed to. So where were they? Did the lab slip up? She put the slide back under the microscope, and saw the nanoprobes, but no... cancerous...

Anna made the connection. This could be it. The breakthrough she'd been hoping for. With the aid Tyler gave her in programming these nanoprobes, she was able to program these nanoprobes to eliminate the cancerous cells in this sample. It almost sounded too good to be true. She was elated; she may yet have a chance! But her elation quickly faded; Tyler seemed to know suspiciously much about this. Almost... firsthand experience. Like he'd done this before. How else could she explain how he knew what to program, what to look for? He had to have dealt with this kind of thing before. But as much as she wanted to interrogate him, she remembered Bryce's request. So her voice was as calm as she could make it, while sounding like she was excited. "We'll need to run a series of tests to try and replicate these results. I don't want to put out any false hopes."

"I was thinking the same thing," Tyler said, sipping his coffee. "But if I'm right, whatever you did worked."

Anna paused, then corrected him: "Whatever  _ we _ did, Tyler. Don't forget, these are  _ your _ nanoprobes we're using. This goes down in the papers, you deserve at least some recognition for it. My work, and your technology, may yet give many hope."

Maverick raised an eyebrow. "I don't think I've ever seen her so excited," he commented, "Let alone be grateful  _ or _ modest." He looked to Tyler. "What were you two doing, again?"

"Can it, Mavers," Anna growled. Tyler snapped off something in that language to Maverick, and he chuckled.

"He's definitely a keeper, Anna," Maverick told Anna.

"I  _ just _ ..." Anna started. She stopped, figured she was gonna get exactly nowhere with that, then said, "... never mind." She looked to Tyler. "How soon can the next batch be ready for testing?"

"The programming for what we did there..." he indicated the slide Anna looked at that the nanoprobes completely eliminated the cancerous cells. "... is gonna run well into the night. And I gotta sleep sometime."

"Why so long?" Anna asked.

"We'll be programming a rather large batch for multiple experiments," Tyler said. "Remember, you and I both felt we'd need multiple experiments to replicate the results we had today - and that requires a lot of nanoprobes. I can provide them, but it'll take time to program all of them to the specifications you did earlier today." Anna nodded, understanding completely. That many nanoprobes would take a long time to program, even with the terminal Anna and Tyler had been using. So, she realized she had some spare time to fill. It was then that Bryce's request again flashed across her mind:  _ Befriend him _ . Time to fill. A man to befriend. It all seemed... convenient.

"Feel like having lunch?" Anna finally asked.

"So long as we don't get ambushed along the way," Tyler responded. "Got a place in mind?"

Those were both good points. Whoever it was that attacked Anna earlier, they seemed very intent on capturing or killing her, and they struck with no warning; and she hadn't really thought about where they would go. But it was Lunch - not like they needed to go to some fancy restaurant. A good cafe would do. She wondered, though - would it be appropriate to call it a date? "Just the cafe down the street - nothing fancy. Didn't want to go too far on such a date." She mentally kicked herself for calling it a date. Such as it was, Tyler just raised an eyebrow, then shrugged.

"Very well - let's be off."

"Just on the off-chance that those guys who ambushed us earlier try it again, you got that gun of yours?" Anna asked.

"Which one? I've got a lot," Tyler responded. "Back home, before the cataclysm, I lived in the woods with a large stock of weapons. Hell, you could say I lived with a full armory."

"The one you showed Bryce when we met that night," Anna clarified.

"Oh, you mean my FN Five-Seven?" Tyler queried, calling up the aforementioned pistol. He briefly showed it, then stuffed it in the back of his belt.

"Just how many weapons do you have in there, anyway?" Anna inquired.

"A lot, is all I can say - hence why I lived in the woods," Tyler admitted. "Some people would get the wrong idea if they saw my house had  _ that _ many weapons stored in various places."

"Is that right?" Anna asked. "Are people where you're from so afraid of a guy who likes to be prepared?"

"They even have a word for that: Paranoid," Tyler scoffed. "Most of them did not live as I did. Hunted for no crime other than that I existed."

Anna frowned as the two exited the lab - and promptly ran into Damion. There was a good six seconds of silence before Damion broke it: "Look, Anna... I just came by to say I'm sorry. I'm sorry for..." he lowered his voice. "... blackmailing you. I've deleted all my evidence." His voice then returned to normal. "I don't want to fight you like this." His gaze then shifted to Tyler. "And... Tyler... no hard feelings, regarding me hurling insults at you?"

Tyler's expression was unreadable, but he nonetheless answered, "None. Rather big of you to do this. Few where I'm from are man enough to own up to their mistakes and bury the hatchet."

"Thank you," Damion said. He looked between Tyler and Anna, then asked, "I imagine you two are heading out for a late lunch - do you need me to look after the lab while you're gone?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," Anna replied. "And monitor the programming process."

"Programming... may I ask what you're programming? I thought you were working on a cure for cancer," Damion said.

"We are," Anna affirmed. "We just took another approach - one the Council would approve of, through a certain variation of Nanotechnology."

Damion looked impressed. "That's... impressive. I know you wouldn't make something like that up, so I wonder where you got that from."

"From me," Tyler told him. "I replicated the nanoprobes we're using."

"Oh, I see," Damion murmured. He shrugged, then continued, "I'll be happy to look after the experiments while you two step out for a bit."

"Ugh, and speaking of stepping out... I gotta use the bathroom. I'll be right back," Tyler announced, then headed for the nearby bathroom.

Anna felt this couldn't have come at a more opportune time. She quickly scribbled down her mobile number on a piece of paper and handed it to Damion. Damion frowned. "Is this your number?"

"Yes," Anna affirmed. "If you see anyone bearing a specific logo of a red X-I-I, contact me."

Damion looked between Anna and the bathroom Tyler went to. "I take it he doesn't know?"

"I don't think so - but whoever these people are, they caused the cataclysm he came here fleeing, and I believe they're operating here on this world. They want me, for some reason, and if anyone comes asking about me while sporting that logo, alert me," Anna told Damion.

Damion nodded. "Will do," he said as he stepped into the lab. He looked at the programming terminal, then turned his head to Anna. "Should I let you know when this is done?"

"No, according to Tyler, that's gonna be running well into the night; if anything, just make sure the process doesn't get interrupted," Anna said. She paused, then added, "Anything comes up on that screen, like an error, do tell me, I don't care how trivial." Damion nodded, then noticed the subspace inhibitors.

Pointing at them, Damion looked to Anna and asked, "Precautions?" Anna nodded.

"Subspace inhibitors. Tyler can explain them better than I can. Suffice to say, those are intended to keep our work from being detected by a... certain outside force."

"Hnh. Well, I'll take that as a warning not to mess with them," Damion stated. It was then that Tyler got back from the bathroom. He straightened out his attire and spoke,

"Shall we?"

"Indeed, we shall," Anna affirmed. She watched as he drew the hood of his cloak over his head, and as they started walking, she asked, "Why do you always go around like that?"

"Fear factor," Tyler responded. "Most people don't wanna mess with the guy in the hooded black cloak."

"You realize that makes you stand out here, right?" Anna spoke before her brain could stop her.

"I already stand out because I'm a human among a world of dragons," Tyler commented, not seeming to mind what Anna said. Anna imagined that, if he realized what she implied, he might change his tone. Such as it was, he didn't. "So if I'm gonna stand out, may as well stand out in a big way." He scoffed, then added, "What dragon would ever want to mess with the Sith Lord with Dragon eyes?"

"That... reminds me," Anna commented. "I didn't realize you humans had eyes like ours."

"We don't," Tyler told her. "Mine... well, I never found out why mine are the way they are. My mother was the only one who could have explained it to me, and she died in the cataclysm."

Anna mentally paused for a moment. He just openly spoke a bit of his past, almost off-handedly. It gave her an idea how to proceed with approaching the subject. "What about your father?" she asked.

"Never knew him," Tyler responded. "He was killed in action during a combat operation when I was just six months old."

"That... must have been difficult for you, then," Anna said. "I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize," Tyler stated. "How could you have known?"

"I didn't want to bring up a sensitive subject, that's all," Anna apologized. "I'm not all that good with social interactions, so I often make mistakes in that area."

"That makes two of us," Tyler chuckled. "Although my lack of experience in the area of social interactions I attribute to growing up cynical and then spending most of my adult life being a target."

"I won't go any further than that," Anna said, not wanting to push too far too soon.

"I'll agree to that - the less said, the better," Tyler sighed as they exited the building. "But, in your defense, you've so far proven far more friendly and trustworthy than any I've known back on what  _ was _ my home world."

"What was the human world like?" Anna asked, opting for a topic more pleasant than what happened to Tyler.

"Depends on who you ask," Tyler responded. "Some say it was a beacon of civilization, others called it a cesspit of corruption and chaos. In the end, people on neither side of the spectrum had the chance to turn the world into their ideal paradise."

"Oh, before I forget, maybe you could explain to me these cyborgs you...  _ we _ are trying to avoid," Anna suggested in an effort to change the subject. "The... what did you call them? The--"

"--Borg?" Tyler finished. "That's a long story. Even I don't have all the details. Not many survived the cataclysm."

_ He keeps going back to the Cataclysm. He says he doesn't want to talk about it, but he keeps unconsciously going back to it. Perhaps he secretly wants to talk of it? _ Anna thought. "Not many Borg survived the cataclysm?" Anna joked.

"Details," Tyler responded in a soft, melancholic tone. "Most of them went up in the cataclysm; I was only able to save a few scraps. Between that and what I remember, I know the Borg are a race you  _ don't  _ want to attract. Their tech, like the very nanoprobes we're programming, can be used like beacons unless proper precautions are taken."

Anna had to say it. "I'm surprised you're so... open, with what you know - with your past. You don't like to discuss what happened to you, but you keep unconsciously going back to it. It's like you're eager, but afraid to share it. Why don't you get it off your chest?" When Anna looked back to gauge Tyler's reaction, she realized he stopped some paces away.

"Do you delight in reminding me?" he asked. "Yes, I do long to share my sorrows with someone - even a sympathetic dragoness as you. But at the same time, I know..." he paused to shake his head. "... it's not your war. Never was."

_ War...? _ Anna thought. She realized then, Tyler didn't flee just a cataclysm - he fled a  _ war _ against an enemy she didn't understand. And that enemy was  _ here _ , and she was now keeping a dark secret from him. Looking into his eyes, she could swear he knew. Or he suspected. But she wanted to make sure he knew she was not his enemy. She walked over to him, putting her hands on both his shoulders. "I'm sorry you feel that way, Tyler. I know what it's like, keeping something to yourself. Keeping a secret. But when you're ready, if nothing else..." she leaned to whisper in his ear. "... I'm here for you. I always will be." She then pulled Tyler into a hug, being gentle and tender. She felt him wrap his own arms around her and gingerly squeeze her, and she could swear she felt him tremble. So she guided him to her favored cafe, and for that day, she made no further inquiries into a past, but took into account what happened today - she got him to open up just a little, made tangible progress toward her goal, and learned he was trying to protect her not just from a faceless enemy close to home, but from a war she was not yet prepared to face. She took these as signs, though for good or ill remained to be seen...


	4. Episode Four: Majestic Twelve

Episode Four

Majestic Twelve

Anna had to be out of her mind. Her family told her such. Of course, they would; it was inevitable they'd find out. Bad enough they ran into them as they were leaving for the production facility one morning - scared Tyler so bad, Anna had to restrain him from drawing a weapon. She barely managed to get the lightsaber out of his hand before it went active, and explained to her parents they merely startled him. Maverick, on the other hand, was supportive, as was Shea. They liked the idea that Anna and Tyler were basically living together. Mother and father... were gonna take some convincing. She carefully admitted to them she was doing cancer research, and Tyler was aiding her in that endeavor - and while they were impressed, they questioned her impulsive decision to let him stay with her. Money wasn't any issue - Tyler was good at managing that. Most of what he needed, he could replicate from the Force or already had stored in his transporter buffers; other things, he bought. Anna was amazed at how good he was at negotiating a deal. The council eventually officially recognized Tyler working in the production facility, and he began getting a steady flow of income. Their experiments went flawlessly, time and time again, giving Anna a giddy sense of hope. Every time they ran their nanoprobes, every kind of cancer Anna was able to secure a sample of, the nanoprobes completely eradicated; she even spent hours looking through a microscope watching it happen. It was phenomenal. She tried containing her excitement, but that was beginning not to work. After a few months, she had definitive proof this could work. She even sent - at Remy's urging - a report to the council, and in an amazing reverse of fortunes - compared to last time she tried this - the council proposed supporting her in this endeavor. They commended her for her extraordinary precautions, and she tried to give Tyler credit for his work. Strangely, Tyler wanted to stay out of the spotlight. For someone that had helped with such a great breakthrough, he curiously didn't want to take any credit for it. The council didn't know, but Anna had her suspicions; he knew  _ something _ . Every time they walked, he kept his eyes up, on the rooftops and upper windows; every time they walked into a restaurant, he's wary, alert. She even asked him about it one time:

_ "Why are you so suspicions and alert all the time?" she asked him at a bar and grille in the central area of town. "Do you ever relax?" _

_ He was again looking around, as though gauging those present. "I have to be alert," he said. "You don't survive as long as I have among the wastes without knowing when trouble's coming from any direction. I come in  _ here _ , and the first thing I'm doing is checking the sight lines and looking for an exit." _

_"I see the exit, too - I'm not worried," Anna assured him. "What has you so scared? What do you think is out here?" This time, Tyler didn't immediately answer. His gaze went from their waitress at another table, then to a husky runner sitting at the bar, then the window next to them, before his gaze went to Anna herself._

_"I can tell you that the window next to us is manufactured to be resistant to a hurricane-driven wind projectile, but will shatter when it comes into contact with a type-three disruptor pulse; I can tell you that our waitress is left-handed and the runner sitting at the bar weighs two hundred seventy-five pounds and knows how to handle himself; I can tell you the best place to find parts to make an improvised weapon is the junkyard adjacent to this bar and in this weather, I can run flat-out for a half-mile before my hands start to shake." He paused, letting Anna process the information. "These are things a man on the run would have to know. Things a guerrilla war fighter would be doing - escape and evasion, hit and run, clandestine operations behind enemy lines."_

He knew. He had to. Why else would he be ducking out of the spotlight like he's trying to avoid attention? Still, even Anna admitted this measure she was taking was a bit... uncharacteristic. She's been living with him - or rather, he's been living with her - for a few months, and the entire time, it never sat right with her that he kept sleeping on the floor. Even when she let him sleep on the couch, he always ended up on the floor. She didn't know if he did that on purpose, or if he simply fell off, but he was always getting up from the floor the next morning. She had to be out of her mind to do this, but if only to let him have a good night's rest, if only to be there for him when he woke from his nightmares, she got a new bed. And not just any new bed - a king-size. One they both would share. Maverick was supportive of this - and Shea felt it was a sweet and selfless thing to do.

Keeping Tyler in the dark wasn't easy - he had gotten to know her just as well as she'd come to know him. But she wanted this to be a surprise. So they took on extra tasks at the lab, making sure things were prepared for the ultimate experiment. The doses were ready, the nanoprobes programmed - she eventually ran out of things to prep, with plenty of time on the clock. So, she decided to go out to eat... and that it was time Tyler knew about her own cancer, and why she'd been pushing this so hard. This would be the ultimate confession. On the way, Anna made calls to her parents, her sister and Maverick, and they met a few blocks away from the intended restaurant. Damion would look after the prepped experiments, just to ensure nothing was tampered with. None of them had any reason to believe they would be, but Tyler was insistent on it. Something about a vision. Anna wondered if it was that vision Tyler spoke of when he first started working with Anna. Who could say? But once everyone was assembled and on the way to the restaurant, Anna noticed a definite change in Tyler - he was alert, more than usual, and unusually tense. He also seemed to be... cold.

"Tyler, are you okay?" Shea asked.

"I'm not sure," Tyler said hoarsely. "The Force moves darkly, but I can't sense why."

This made Anna frown slightly. It reminded her of something she heard Tyler say one time:  _ "The Dark Side of the Force often feels cold and deathly - and one gets these feelings when the Dark Side surges, especially when sensing approaching danger." _ She daren't share this aloud, but now she felt concerned. She was all but certain he-

It was as they were passing an antique store that they all heard a  _ beep!  _ Tyler froze in place, and was the first to look into the window. When everyone else turned to see what it was, they saw Tyler's face went from wary watchfulness to absolute dread - the color drained from his face as he looked at something in the window - a small, box-like device with two metallic tubes inside. Tyler looked to Anna and her family, his breathing got faster and erratic, and he finally shouted,  _ "ANNA, GET DOWN!!!" _ He made a strange gesture with his arms, and launched them toward them. The instant he did, Anna, her parents, Shea and Maverick were all, by some invisible force, pushed off their feet and well away from the antique store.

And it was at that moment the store was rocked with a  _ massive  _ explosion. Anna was dazed by the force of the explosion, but when she sat up, she realized Tyler was not where he was before - the explosion blew him across the street; he was unmoving and seemingly lifeless.  _ No, _ Anna thought. "Tyler!" she managed to shout.

"No use shouting for him," a completely unfamiliar voice said. Anna looked over to a nearby alley and saw something she never expected to see: A group of  _ humans! _ They were wearing black armor adorned with the red XII. The ringleader was also clad in a black trench coat and had flushed tan skin adorned with tattoos. "No one could survive an explosion like that. Even a Jedi."

_ Jedi...? _ Anna thought. She never heard of such a thing.

"Improvised Explosive Devices are handy, but I always preferred plastic explosives. Regrettably, we have only a limited supply of them - and, besides... it would have caused more collateral damage than my superiors were willing to accept," the human said. He drew a pistol, a different design than what Tyler used. "Now, either come with us..." The human said, cocking the hammer of the pistol before he shifted the weapon to point at Anna's family. He fired a shot that impacted near Shea's hand. "... or the next round goes into someone's head." Anna saw movement from the corner of her eye, and looked to see Tyler getting up.

_ "You bastards took everything from me once before,"  _ Anna heard him say.  _ "You shall not do so twice!" _ The first hint these attackers had that Tyler was alive was when he rose to his feet with a blood-curdling war cry. The ringleader's face turned to horror as he looked over to see Tyler standing there, arms wide and held back, oozing a phosphoric green fluid. Several wounds were visible through his tattered clothes.

"Impossible...!" the ringleader gasped. Tyler was breathing heavy, and for the first time since Anna had known him, Tyler's look distilled pure  _ rage _ . His eyes glowed yellow, and with a twist of his hand, one of the humans' heads twisted and Anna heard a  _ snap! _ Before he dropped. Tyler then gestured with that other hand, and one of the other humans exclaimed in surprise before there was a sickening  _ crunch! _ Before his body was flung into a wall.

The ringleader shifted his aim and fired the gun repeatedly. His remaining cohort all trained weapons on Tyler and opened fire with an ear-splitting roar. Tyler simply raised a hand, just off the right side of his face, and the bullets reflected harmlessly off an invisible shield. Tyler then closed his open hand into a fist and moved it to the side, and his other hand whipped out and made a pulling motion; Anna couldn't believe her eyes when all the humans' weapons suddenly flew from their hands, clattering harmlessly on the ground at his feet. He then held out his right hand, and in an instant, his lightsaber flew from his belt into his hand. The blade flared to life with that iconic  _ snap-hiss! _ And in a brazen and terrifying move, Tyler leapt into the air with a snarl that carried a hellish screech, and went on the attack. In a flash, he swung that imperial crimson blade, and two of the humans went down with gashes in their chests. The fatal injuries seemed to have been cauterized on infliction, which lead Anna to think the blade was energy-based, maybe some form of Plasma. Tyler did mention that among his arsenal. The other humans, apparently prepared for a close-quarters fight, all drew blades when Tyler was on them. With one of those swings of his blade, a bit of that green ooze flung out and landed on Anna's snout. It was at this moment that Remy happened on the scene, helping Anna up.

"Dear gods above," Remy said, "He's a predator!"

"No," said the voice of Bryce from beside Remy. "He's a protector. He pushed Anna and her family clear of that blast." Anna realized then that Bryce wasn't wrong. He saved her life, and the lives of her family. But something gnawed at her. The green fluid. She wiped the speck of it off her snout, and tasted it, then immediately spit it back out, recognizing the bitter and metallic taste of...

"... Blood," she said aloud. "He's hurt, badly!"

"No shit," Maverick stated. "He got hit with a bomb! But what's that green ooze he's leaking?!"

"That's his blood," Anna told him.

Remy looked down at the dead humans, and saw crimson blood leaking from the mouth of one. "Human blood isn't green..." Remy stated.

Anna shook her head, never taking her eyes off the man so ardently defending her. "He's not human," she said, her voice almost droning. Green blood, dragon eyes, powers beyond her understanding... it all fit. He was not human - not entirely. Watching his fight, she saw he used his anger and rage to empower him, and they seemed to sustain his speed, even with as severely injured as he was. That blade was swung so fast and in such exaggerated arcs, it was almost as though...  _ But of course, _ Anna thought.  _ He knew these people. He has every reason to hate them; they took everything from him, and he bays for blood. And now he knows they're here.  _ Anna paused on that thought. If he knew these people were here, it would stand to reason that they now knew  _ he _ was here! But another question came up - what did they need her for? They'd seemed rather intent on taking her alive - why? The combat ended when the last combatant fell missing his head, and Tyler stood, panting in harsh, labored breaths, glaring at Anna with this expression of rage-filled anger.

"Anna, get clear - I don't like the look he's giving us," Maverick told Anna.

"He won't hurt us," Anna said. "If he wanted to, he'd have torn us apart when this started. And someone has to get him to the hospital." She took steps out toward Tyler, her hands out. "Easy, Tyler - it's okay. I'm here." Tyler responded with a guttural growl. "That's not gonna help you, Tyler Horgus," Anna cautioned him. "I am not your enemy. Put it down, pal. You saved my life - let me return the favor." It was as Anna mentioned this that Tyler's gaze jerked, shifting to something behind her, then returned to her just as fast. His breathing got faster, and he yelled,

"GET DOWN!" His speed was amazing, jumping over and grabbing Anna, twisting his body to take her off her feet and held her. Anna heard a gunshot ring out, and Tyler's shoulder exploded in a spray of his blood. He roared in anger, and leapt through what seemed a blue portal, and then another appeared and another human came flying out, dropping a rifle to the ground as he landed hard between Anna and the other dragons present. Tyler exited before the portal closed, and in a roar of hostility, he pulled out a  _ second _ lightsaber and engaged this last human. This human was not like the others - he had silvery facial tattoos and wore a black-and-white trench coat, but he was no pushover - he was just as good with a blade as Tyler. Tyler refused to let up, and the interloper eventually kicked Tyler in the gut, hit a button on his wristband, and was gone in a flash of light.  _ "YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE ME, SIMONS! YOU HEAR ME?! YOU WILL NOT TAKE ANOTHER HOME FROM ME!!!" _ Tyler shouted. Silence settled in over the scene. The only sounds came from Tyler's humming lightsabers and his raspy breathing.

That changed when his weapons went inactive, and Tyler collapsed. His green blood was everywhere, and he was bleeding profusely. Anna rushed to his side, and was shocked he was still breathing, heavy and raspy. Bryce and Remy arrived next. "He's losing blood, fast," Bryce remarked.

"We need to get him to a hospital!" Remy agreed. Anna said nothing, merely kneeling down next to Tyler and gently and calmly ran a hand over his head.

"You saved my life, Tyler," she almost whispered to him.

"Whatever blood..." Tyler coughed, "... runs in your veins... no one deserves to die... like that." he paused to spit blood. "Go. This is not... your war. Never was." It was then that Sebastian, Bryce's lieutenant, arrived on the scene, and was astonished at what he saw - nearly a dozen dead humans, plus Tyler bleeding green blood.

Anna placed a hand on Tyler's cheek. "No... it's  _ our _ war - and we  _ will _ see it finished," she assured him. She then hefted one of his arms over her shoulder and started to lift him to his feet. he was much lighter than she expected.

"My weapons," he croaked.

"Bryce, grab his weapons, hold on to them!" Anna barked as she started moving for the local hospital.

"Anna, you're not gonna make it to the hospital! He's losing blood too fast!" Bryce called out. Anna paused mentally as she dragged Tyler along. Bryce was right; Tyler was bleeding from a multitude of injuries. He'd bleed out long before they got to the hospital. She had to find some place closer. For some reason, she remembered the restaurant; it was within a few short minutes walk of...

"Then call the paramedics and have them meet me at my house!" Anna commanded. In an unexpected move, Shea hefted Tyler's other arm around her shoulder. "What are you doing?" Anna asked.

"Helping you," Shea responded. "This man risked his life to protect us; I am not gonna sit idly by while he bleeds to death!"

"None of us are," Anna's mother - Jillian - added.

"Just tell us what you need," Came the agreement of Anna's father, Jack. With the aid of her family, Anna dragged Tyler to her apartment, where they settled him on the new bed under some towels. Amazingly, Tyler was still conscious - and it made Anna sad, knowing he could feel every ounce of pain from his wounds. The paramedics arrived not long after they did, and Remy was there, too. Anna spent hours pacing in the foyer nervously, despite the assurances of her family.

"He survived a bomb and a bullet," they kept saying. "He was bleeding horribly, but still remained conscious. He's tough. He'll make it." None of it helped. Anna couldn't help but think of what could go wrong; none of those doctors had any knowledge on how to treat a human, she thought - someone was bound to slip up, and Tyler would be gone forever. Just when Anna had gotten them a bed they can share, too - she was looking forward to not sleeping alone every night. It galled her to her core. The man had been through so much - only to die like this? That couldn't be his fate.

The doctors slowly filed out of the master bedroom, melancholic faces telling Anna what she already suspected. They threw their blood-drenched gloves into a special trash can, and the lead doctor approached Anna after doing the same. He put a hand on her shoulder, and Anna did her best, with tears welling up in her eyes, to brace for the worst. Her only consolation was that she had tried.

But that was not meant to be.

"Your friend will survive," the Doctor said. "He took a severe beating, and I don't know how he managed it, but he'll survive." The entire family breathed a collective sigh of relief. Anna felt the tears roll down her cheeks. He was  _ alive! _

"How bad were his injuries?" she asked.

"We pulled nearly three dozen pieces of the bomb shrapnel out of his body; the blood loss alone should have killed him," The doctor told her. "The bullet that went through his shoulder? Large caliber, should have taken his arm off. Your friend, without a doubt, the hardiest and most resilient patient I have ever operated on."

"Can I see him?" Anna asked softly.

"Before you do, I have to ask - did you ever analyze his blood at any point?" the doctor asked. Anna shook her head. "Well, we did - we needed to know if we could give him a blood transfusion, so we took a sample and analyzed it in a computer we brought."

"And? What did you find?" Anna asked.

"You're not gonna believe this," the doctor said. "It's dragon. Your friend looks human, but he has dragon blood." Anna was internally surprised. Dragon eyes. Extraordinary power. Extraordinary resilience. Now Dragon blood. Just what the hell  _ was _ he? "But Dragon or not," the doctor continued, "He needs a lot of rest. I would strongly advise one of you to remain here with him; he might be more inclined to listen to someone he's familiar with."

"I'll stay," Anna volunteered. "I'll look after him."

"Anna, are you sure--" Jillian started.

"Don't. Start," Anna cut her off. "The man nearly died to protect us; now's not the time to be getting cold feet. He saved my life, and I owe him the same. After what he's been through... he deserves that much." There was a pause before Maverick's voice could be heard:

"That... is dedication. That's something you wanted to see from her, dad. Devotion to someone."

"Indeed," Jack agreed. Anna didn't stick around for this, as she slowly walked into the room where Tyler was, seeing him laying on the bed, wrapped in sterile bandages. Monitors remained active, keeping track of his condition, and he slept, breathing normally. IV tubes fed him a steady supply of intravenous fluids. It saddened her to see her friend in this condition. She sat down next to him, tears still flowing, then took his hand in her own.

_ He risked his life to save mine, _ she thought.  _ Nearly died protecting me. But he's alive... my little dragon human. How did you ever be cursed to suffer like this? _ As though awakened by her thoughts, Tyler slowly opened his eyes and groaned softly. His head turned, and saw Anna. Anna gently rubbed his hand, kissing his wrist. "I'm so sorry, Tyler," Anna apologized, her voice cracking.

"It wasn't your fault, Anna," Tyler said weakly. "You didn't plant that IED, and you certainly didn't send that hit squad after yourself; you have nothing to apologize for."

"On the contrary," Bryce said as he walked into the room. "We could have warned you of the danger. We  _ should _ have. But we--"

"No such warning was necessary, Bryce - I already knew they were here," Tyler croaked. He softly chuckled. "Ironic. You knew they were here, and didn't tell me, and I knew beforehand, and didn't tell you. Seems we both have some explaining to do." Anna stroked Tyler's wrist.

"No one is gonna make you pour yourself out now, not in this condition," Anna told him.

"I have to, Anna. It's the first rule of engagement: Know your enemy," Tyler told her. He looked to Bryce. "Nothing held back?" Bryce shook his head.

"Nothing held back," he agreed. "We've been tracking them for some time. They seem rather intent on taking Anna alive. We've had reports of them showing up in neighboring cities, but we don't know what their goal is."

"Even where I'm from, their goals remained shrouded in mystery," Tyler admitted. "I never knew much beyond that cliche motive of world domination. They liked to operate from the shadows, always did - the invisible hand. Just like the conspiracy group they originated from, the Illuminati. This bunch descended from them."

"Why are they so intent on taking me alive?" Anna asked.

"They're always in need of bodies - the fact they're after you suggests they want you for their research. Like the Enclave, they'll press into service anyone they think can help them; if they can't brainwash you with their ideals, they enslave you. They're real jackasses, by the way. I could only tell them no so many times..." Tyler explained. He scoffed. "... That's why they set that bomb; they expected it to kill me. They wanted you alive, but they knew as long as I was around, they couldn't touch you. And if they couldn't take you, they'd kill you."

This already was known to Anna - Tyler protected her. She saw what Bryce did - a man that was very protective of her. She meant a great deal to him. And because of today's incident, he meant a great deal to  _ her _ .

"You said in your asylum report that you came here fleeing a cataclysm," Bryce said. "You also said that this group was responsible for that cataclysm. I ask you, not as the chief of police, but as your friend - what happened?"

Tyler sighed, looking at the fan in the ceiling.

_ "It was a long time ago," he explained. "My power manifested when I was 30. No idea why it took so long to manifest; there were signs it was there long before then, but the first real indication to others that I was more than human came when I went in for blood work. Just routine lab work so I could get my prescriptions filled. When they drew my blood, it was... green. No one knew why. Wasn't more than a month before those bastards showed up on my doorstep, offering me a job. I didn't trust them. Something behind their eyes just rubbed me the wrong way. They tried again a few months later, and I still refused. Then came the accusations of treachery and treason." Tyler scoffed. "They couldn't convince me to work with them, so they tried to force me. Said the accusations would stop if I agreed. I still refused. Then, they destroyed my home. I wasn't there at the time, but my little brother was. He didn't make it out of the blast. I was accused of that crime, even though I had an alibi. Never mind that I lacked the means and the knowledge to make such a device at the time. So I ran... had to. To protect everyone I cared about. I could only tell these bastards no so many times before they decided I was a threat. They tried again and again to kill me. Just because I refused to work with them. In my time on the run, I heard and learned and saw all of their immoral operations and activities. I started waging a war against them. I knew it was a war I wasn't gonna win - but come hell or high water, I was gonna do some damage before I ended up six feet under. Eventually, I lost track of them. They dropped off the grid. But then, just as I thought I could surface and go back to my old life... boom. The bastards hacked into every nuclear missile silo in the world, and launched every nuke on the planet. Nowhere was safe from them. The world was plunged into an abyss of nuclear hell. Outside of those assholes, I was the only one who survived. My other brother was in Memphis with my mother and my niece; my cousin and my aunt and uncle were in Washington, D.C, when it was hit; my best friend were in Los Angeles when it got hit. My other friends didn't survive the nuclear fallout that followed. But those bastards surfaced again, trying to build a new world on the ashes of the old one. And for the next four hundred years... I hunted those bastards. Determined to make them pay. Eventually, as it had been before the cataclysm, I lost track of them. It wasn't until I came upon their portal, and the facility bearing their sigil, that I learned the truth." _

"So you're... you're 400 years old!" Remy said, completely taken aback.

"And that's the other reason you came here, I gather," Bryce said. "A vendetta. To make them pay for the home and life they took from you."

"A war you were fighting," Anna concluded, "Against an enemy that destroyed everything."

"War. Vendetta. There are many names for what I've been doing. But all of it - everything I went through since coming here..." Tyler turned his head to look at Anna. "... was to protect those I care about. Sometimes, you have to kill to survive, and protect those you care about."

"You take lives to save lives," Anna said softly. She paused. "I understand. But I also believe that we met for a reason, Tyler; you're supposed to grow old - or in our case, live eternal -  _ with _ someone, not because of them. You risked your life, nearly died, to save me, and that's something I'll never forget. At the same time, however, I couldn't live with myself if something were to happen to you. In the short few months we've known each other, I've grown to care about you. I don't want to lose you. That's why I've volunteered to look after you while you recover."

"Listen to Anna," Shea urged Tyler. "She deeply cares about you. We all do. Like it or not, for better or worse, you're one of us, now."

"Dragon blood... dragon eyes... dragon power. It all points to that," Anna told Tyler. "You. And us. You were right - the Force wanted us to meet. And I'm beginning to see why. I never claimed to be a believer in the things you speak of - they defied logical explanation. But after seeing you willing to sacrifice yourself for me... surviving a bomb and a gunshot, either of which should have killed you, after seeing you fight, covered in bleeding wounds... I'm beginning to feel that what you speak may be true, after all." She leaned closer to Tyler. "But for now... for my sake... take it easy. I don't want you to hurt yourself. I want to see you well again."

"I agree - the media is all over your story. They're already calling you the Dragonborn," Remy said as he was looking at his phone. Tyler just chuckled.

"Ironic that my world had a video game character of the same name," he said.

"Doesn't matter," Maverick said, looking at what Remy saw. "People are calling you a hero. For better or worse, you're one of us, now."

"One thing remains unanswered," Bryce said. "This group you've been hunting, who you followed here to escape the cataclysm - who are they?"

"As I said, they're a conspiracy group that originated from another, the Illuminati. I had heard of both, but this group, unlike the Illuminati, had a trained army to protect them and pursue their goals."

"That's why we saw some of our own with that logo on them," Bryce remarked. "They're recruiting our people!"

"And that sigil - I had seen it long before I had trouble with them... the red X-I-I. Where I'm from, that's a Roman symbol for the number twelve. And that's what this outfit called themselves... Majestic Twelve," Tyler explained. "Through the years, their goals remained the same - world domination, whether it be our world... or yours, it seems. They  _ must _ be stopped."

"Agreed," Bryce said, "But you're in no condition to be fighting them. At the same time, however, you no longer have to fight them alone."

Tyler frowned slightly. "You realize what you imply," he responded.

"I know. But these bastards have attacked us just as they did you; we have as much to lose in this as you do," Bryce affirmed.

"No special conditions?" Tyler queried.

Bryce shook his head. "None. I know you won't be able to be at your best if I limit you like that. Even the council will understand that; Majestic Twelve threatens our world, and you're our best hope of stopping them. You said it, yourself: First Rule of Engagement - Know Your Enemy. You know Majestic Twelve better than anyone here."

Tyler nodded, then returned his head to rest looking at the ceiling. "Keep me appraised on whatever you find on MJ12, please. They're my enemy as much as yours, and even in this condition, I can advise you on how to proceed."

"Agreed," Bryce said. "For now, I have to return to the station." He looked to Anna. "Don't let him hurt himself."

Anna looked to Tyler with a smile. "Trust me, I'll be staying at his side. No matter what." Bryce smiled.

"I can see what your parents mean when they say you're devoted. Keep each other close - he'll need you as much as you need him." With that, Bryce walked out of the room, then the apartment, heading for the Police station. The others filed out of the room, leaving Anna alone with Tyler. She had a smile that she didn't have before.

"You realize you'll need a place to sleep, right?" Tyler asked.

"Oh... I know," Anna said slyly, walking over to the opposite side of the bed and grabbing the covers. She still thought she was out of her mind...


	5. Episode Five: Confessions and Stories

Episode Five

Confessions And Stories

Tyler was surprised - both with his own resilience, and with his companion's behavior. Anna had been nice to him since he got here, and though they had a few arguments now and again, they both helped and coordinated with each other over the last few months. Cancer research went swimmingly. Everything was going so well. Every test had the same results. Tyler already knew it would - he had done this before. He had been working against the clock, himself, long ago. Four hundred years in a radioactive hell with carbon monoxide in the air everywhere had its effects - Cancer was just one of many. So Tyler didn't blame her for keeping her own battle with cancer to herself. He'd been there before. Not wanting anyone to know how desperate he was. Interesting that Anna was in the same boat. More and more, the will of the Force was made clear. He was meant to meet her. And she was meant to meet him, it seemed. They had a lot in common - intelligence and wisdom beyond their years, similar battles against time and a then-incurable disease, a desire to help each other. Tyler couldn't help but chuckle at it.

And this evidently got Anna's attention. "What's so funny?" she asked. She lay next to him, her arms wrapped around him, gently squeezing him and keeping him close. Of course, they both saw what this also meant - they both had grown close, so close that they were comfortable sleeping in the same bed. That's why Anna got it. It never sat right with her how Tyler always slept on the floor. He kept telling her he'd slept in worse conditions. But she wanted him to be more comfortable. He couldn't deny her hospitality. And her selflessness was bar none. For a dragoness that worked to cure herself of an incurable disease, her demeanor over the last few months was rather ironic - contrary to what others had said of her. Even Damion admitted she was selfish. Yet here she was, willingly sharing a bed with Tyler and looking after him as he recovered from what should have been fatal injuries.

"Just thinking about how far we've come in such a short space of time," Tyler told her. Anna smiled and chuckled, herself.

"You call four months short?" she jested. The others had since left the apartment, so Tyler and Anna both didn't worry about eavesdroppers. Bryce returned prior to nightfall, offering to have some officers posted here as security. It was a big risk, with MJ12 running amok somewhere. They knew Tyler was here, and on the off-chance that they knew where he was staying, Tyler armed the officers guarding the complex with his own weapons, called up from his transporter buffers. Disruptors, he called them. Powerful weapons. He gave them the best crash course on firearms he could, given his present condition. So, with a new sense of security, Anna slipped into bed next to Tyler, keeping him close. Her head rested on his shoulder, her eyes closed. She shifted, and Tyler sensed she wanted to say something. Such as it was, he didn't have to press. "Tyler... with what happened, I... I never realized I meant so much to you. So much that you'd sacrifice yourself for me."

_ Not quite what I expected, but still accurate, _ Tyler thought. "I do care about you, Anna. I was not going to let you be a casualty of my war," he told her.

"And because of that... I think you deserve to know the truth," Anna said. "There was a reason I was pushing so hard with our cancer research."

"You have cancer, yourself. I know. Admittedly, I'd known for a while," Tyler said. Anna gasped quietly, but then almost immediately settled down.

"How did you know?" she asked.

"Hints. Clues. Things you said. First hint was when you came in physical contact with me, that night we met in the alley, when you tried to wake me up. I felt in you what I once had. You telling me we were trying to cure cancer was the final confirmation. You had your reasons for keeping that from me, and I respected them. Even though I knew already, I understood your desire to keep it from others," Tyler explained. A moment of silence followed before Anna made her response.

"So you had Cancer, just as I do now. That's how you knew how to attack it. You had done so before." She chuckled softly. "How ironic that we both kept secrets from one another. Under different circumstances, there'd be arguments between us right now." She paused, then added, "But we are not like that. We know better. But if this..." she indicated herself and Tyler. "... if this is gonna work out, we need to be open and honest with each other."

"Like I said - we've come a long way in a short time. And on that note, you might want to check the pocket in my cloak, left side," Tyler told her. Anna looked up and saw the coat hanging on Tyler's computer chair. Amazingly, it emerged from that incident unscathed. Anna got up, went to the cloak, and checked the left-side inner pocket. She felt something - a small...

"Is this what I think it is?" she asked. She retrieved the item, and saw it was a hypospray, loaded with a proper dose of the nanoprobes they were using to fight cancer. Enough to completely eradicate her own late-stage cancer. She looked to Tyler.

"Snagged it from the lab before we left, and Damion covered our tracks there," Tyler said with a smile. Anna looked clearly elated. Tyler couldn't blame her; first he protects her from a band of bandits, then coordinates with her on her research, helps her make the breakthrough she's been hoping for, gets the council to agree to this path, then saved her from an explosion and then a sniper's bullet, and now he's given her their cure for cancer so she doesn't have to go through anyone else. Hell, she looked  _ thrilled _ . She was quick to inject herself, then return to bed with him. This time, she held him a little closer than before, her smile even bigger.

"There's so much more beneath this soft, cuddly skin, isn't there?" she asked. Tyler smiled.

"Always was. That's my greatest strength - my complete unpredictability. Few know what I'm capable of, even among MJ12," he said.

"That man, though - the one that confronted me after the explosion. He called you a Jedi," Anna said.

"Did he?" Tyler asked. He scoffed. "Shows how much they know. I'm no Jedi. Never was. Never claimed to be."

"That's true - you never mentioned that to me. But if you're not a Jedi, what are you?" Anna inquired.

"If you spoke to anyone from my home world, they'd tell you the color of my lightsabers indicate one thing - Sith," Tyler explained. "The ancient enemies of the Jedi. Sith used the Dark Side, Jedi used the Light. Both shunned the powers of the other. And they were always perpetually at war with one another."

"So which are you?" Anna asked. Tyler leaned his head on hers.

"I am neither. Neither Sith nor Jedi. Yet I use both sides of the Force, never shunning either side of the spectrum," he told her. "Both sides have their uses. Both sides have limitations."

"Is that how you survived that explosion?" Anna asked.

"Part of that was the energy shield I was wearing. Outside of that... all I can tell you is that the Dark Side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural," Tyler responded.

"So the Force keeps you alive? Kept you alive all these years?" Anna asked.

"Indeed," Tyler affirmed. "Among other things. Some of it is the Force, some a unique effect the Nuclear Fallout had on me, some was an unintended side-effect the nanoprobes had on me. All points to me - and now you, it seems - living eternal."

"Funny. Never dreamed I would find a way to live forever," Anna chuckled.

"Nor did I," Tyler agreed. "But whatever the reason, we do. But take my advice - this is one detail you'll want to keep  _ away _ from others. Trust me, that can attract all the wrong kinds of attention."

"No argument here," Anna said. She lifted her snout up to plant a tender kiss on his cheek. "Amazing how comfortable you are, laying next to me. You ever..." she stopped herself, remembering Tyler had spent most of his life on the run or at war. "... right. You never had a chance to sleep next to a human woman, let alone a dragoness as I."

"You'd be the first female, dragon or otherwise, to take any kind of interest in me. Period," Tyler told her. He heaved a sigh. "I had to stay away from most people. Admittedly, the night we met, I was prepared to live on the fringe. I was just gonna stay at your house one night and be gone just before dawn. But then... there was you. The dragoness who impulsively offered me a place to live in exchange for my cooperation. I was tempted to say no, but then... I don't understand why, but I agreed. Something told me this was my chance to live the life I could have had before MJ12 came along and wrecked everything."

"Don't you find it odd, though?" Anna asked. "You're now sharing a bed with a female. A female that clearly has a... romantic interest in you. And it's only been a few months."

" _ Some _ people would find it odd..." Tyler admitted.

"... And how do you find it...?" Anna inquired with a smile.

"... Overdue," Tyler said. "Remember, I've been alone most of my life, Anna; I never knew the joys of companionship. Or romance. That kind of solitude can erode a man's sanity over time. And my time alone has been a very long one."

"Thankfully, yours wasn't," Anna chuckled softly.

"Says who?" Tyler countered. There was a pause before he added, "My dear Anna, there are days I question my sanity. Do I truly sound sane? Do I act such? Do my words ring true? Or do people just politely smile and nod?"

"Valid points; but one thing I know as a doctor and a scientist, is that crazy people don't realize they're going insane," Anna explained, "You have the clarity of mind to ask such questions, and you have the clarity to wonder if you truly are sane. Crazy people don't think the way you do."

Tyler chuckled softly, leaning his head on Anna's. "You truly are an amazing woman, Anna," he complimented her. Anna smiled at the compliment.

"Thank you," she said, squeezing a bit tighter.

**{{{{{ }}}}}**

Tyler woke the next morning to find Anna was not at his side like she was when he fell asleep the previous night. He heard sizzling from the kitchen, and the distinct sounds of a coffee pot, and after a few moments, heard Anna's voice humming. Was she...? A grumble in Tyler's stomach interrupted his thoughts, and he lacked the strength to get up. Slowly, memories of the previous night surfaced in his head, and his sleep-addled mind slowly recognized the demeanor of a pleased, happy woman that his Force awareness sensed.

_ Hnh. Next thing I know, I'll be calling her my girlfriend, _ Tyler thought. The instant he thought that, he felt... odd. Light-headed. Could have been the blood loss from the previous day, or the lack of food - or it could be his subconscious wasn't against the idea of a dragoness as her as his girlfriend. Or his wife. Hnh. They'd already been living together for a few months. Would it really be so bad? After all these years, to have a lover? And a dragon lover, to boot - the one creature he had a soft spot for. A dragoness. The Force worked in mysterious ways, it seemed - but there were times that Tyler wasn't convinced it didn't have a sense of humor. All these years, wanting a companion, a lover - a woman that understood him, and that woman ended up being a creature that, officially, humankind said didn't exist. How ironic.

Tyler's thoughts were interrupted when Anna poked her head in the door. "You're awake," she commented. "I was starting to worry breakfast would be cold by the time you woke up."

"Truth told, I'm used to waking up to my night..." Tyler stopped when he realized he didn't have a nightmare last night. He pointed to Anna and asked, "... How did you do that?"

"How'd I do what?" Anna asked innocently.

"Don't pull that on me," Tyler said. "You kept my nightmares at bay last night - how?" Anna seemed to take it in her stride, and crawled across the bed, putting a hand on Tyler's cheek and affectionately flicking her tongue over his nose.

"Just chalk it up to the effect a dragoness has on the Dragonborn," she told him. "Admittedly, I didn't think I could do that. But I think that's one thing the Force allowed me to do - calm your raging soul. I suspect that's another reason we met."

"Don't tell me you're a believer, now, too, are you?" Tyler asked.

"And what if I am?" Anna countered with a toothy smile. "Even as a scientist, I know there are things that science can't explain."

"Interesting to hear you say that," Tyler said. Anna just chuckled.

"The unfortunate byproduct of a human influence..." She leaned in and briefly kissed Tyler on the lips. "... Dragonborn." She then got to her feet with a smile, and headed back into the kitchen. Tyler could smell the bacon, now - and the eggs. And hints of cubed ham. Any other person would ask if she was making an omelet - but Tyler's mind was elsewhere.

_ Kissed by a dragoness, _ he thought. Tyler couldn't get his mind off it - she really was interested in him. But could he afford to have romantic attachments at this time? He didn't know. At the same time, however, he realized he already had taken steps to protect her - from fighting with MJ12 agents disguised as police, to protecting her from agents wanting to take her alive and finally to pushing her clear of the blast radius of a bomb meant for him. Why not formalize what evidently already has taken place? He remembered the vision; he knew she was in danger. And he took it upon himself to protect her. As a result, he stuck by her side, and helped her develop a nanomechanical cure for cancer, and he even secured that cure just for her. The end result, clearly, was that in those months, he had grown attached to her, though Tyler wasn't quite ready to say they were in love. Neither of them were. But they had all the classic signs - only thing that remained was that they tell each other how they feel.

Eventually, Anna came back into the room, and helped Tyler to his feet. Surprisingly, Tyler could still walk - though he was unsteady on his feet. The bullet wound in his shoulder still throbbed, but Tyler ignored it. She sat him down at the table, where she then placed in front of him, what he suspected she was cooking - an omelet. Tyler was surprised at how good it was, but had gone no more than halfway before the doorbell rang. Anna looked irritated, and went to answer, when Tyler heard her voice and another familiar voice.

"Bryce? Is something wrong?" Anna asked.

"Is Tyler able to walk?" Bryce asked back.

"Barely," Anna responded.

"Hm... well, he's needed - the council wants to see him," Bryce said. "It's urgent."

"Urgent? Is he in trouble?" Anna queried.

"I don't know - they didn't give me any details," Bryce admitted. Anna returned, with Bryce in tow, and Tyler looked up at the dragon.

"I'm the last person that's gonna keep the council waiting," he told him.

"Can you sense anything?" Bryce asked. Tyler closed his eyes, and reached out with the Force. He felt fear, curiosity, and apprehension - but nothing indicating he would be exiled or punished in any way.

"As best I can sense, the council wants to know what I know," Tyler finally said.

"Good enough," Bryce said with a determined smile. "Come on - you can ride my back. I'm not gonna make you walk all the way to the council chambers." Tyler nodded, downed as much of the omelet as he could, and with Anna's help, climbed up on Bryce's back. "Hnh... you're lighter than I thought."

"Thanks," Tyler chuckled. "I used to weigh a lot more than this." Bryce laughed as they got moving. When they got to the council chambers, they were met outside by Emera, the Minister of Culture and Arts.

"So you're the Dragonborn everyone's been talking about," she said. "I must admit, I was almost certain you wouldn't survive yesterday's incident. I'm glad you did, though. I know for a fact Anna would have been devastated."

"I've survived worse things than that bomb, Minister," Tyler told her. "And for the record, my name is Tyler."

"I know what your name is; I just wanted to make you feel more comfortable by using the title the people gave you," the Minister said.

"Minister, what's this about?" Anna asked.

"It's about your friend's future here," Emera said bluntly. She looked to Tyler. "It's nothing personal, Tyler - and you're not in trouble. It's just that the people are worried - and that worries the council."

"I suspected as much," Tyler stated. "Two brawls are easy enough to keep quiet - a bomb attack, not so much. I think it time you all know the truth about the enemy we both face."

Emera nodded. "Then we are agreeing," she said. She looked to Anna. "Why don't you stay at his side? It'll be easier for him to tell his story with you around."

Anna just smiled, then responded, "Thought you'd never ask." Remy approached Emera's side, paused to give Anna and Tyler a smile and a nod, before whispering something in Emera's ear. Emera nodded, then spoke,

"Council's waiting for us - Tyler, Anna, come with me, please," Anna gently grabbed hold of Tyler, and supported him as they walked into the council chambers. Anna sat Tyler down at the podium on the floor level, and sat in an adjacent chair, still nervous. Arrayed before them in podiums looming over them were the seats of Emera, Minister of Culture and Arts; Haman, Minister of Healthcare and Medicine; Drake, Minister of Civilian Affairs; Alice, Minister of Defense; and Grace, Minister of Foreign Policy.

"You are Tyler Horgus, yes?" Grace began.

"That is correct," Tyler affirmed.

"And you know why we summoned you here?" Alice asked.

"I know the basic gist," Tyler admitted.

"Be assured, we bear no ill will toward you; you are not being tried for anything," Grace reassured Tyler.

"And we have the greatest appreciation for your selfless and no less heroic act yesterday," Alice added. "None of us have ever seen anyone who can take an explosion like that and survive."

"But this Majestic Twelve you describe poses a clear and present danger to our world," Drake said officiously. "If we are to coordinate in combating this threat, we need information."

"We need to know what you know," Haman said calmly.

Tyler shook his head. This was not what they wanted. What they said was what they already had - they already knew how Majestic Twelve had goals of world domination, how they'd been recruiting dragons, and how they made terrorist strikes. They had the picture that Majestic Twelve sought to use fear and intimidation to seize control of everything. No, what they were asking for was how Tyler knew them. They wanted to see if he could be trusted. "No," he finally said. Emera was the first to respond:

"Tyler, there's no need to fear us; we just--"

"What you ask of me is what you already have - it's in your reports and in your heads, all the dates, incidents, the basic gist of the enemy we face; what you want, what you really need, is a story. You want to know if I can be trusted," Tyler said.

"Stories can be true or false," Drake said.

"I leave such judgments to you, councilors," Tyler stated.

"Proceed, mister Horgus," Emera said. Tyler sat back as he began,

_ "Our story begins, as these stories often do, with a young, up-and-coming businessman-turned politician. On the surface, he's a deeply religious man, and a member of the Conservative Party. What lies beneath, however, a side of this man few ever see and fewer still ever survive seeing, is the mind of a complete sociopath; he's totally single-minded, and has no regard for the lives of his fellow man or political process. The more power he attains, the more obvious his zealotry, and the more aggressive his supporters become. He paints his group as majestic and righteous, enticing others to believe they are the answer to the world's problems. Eventually, his party launches a special project in the name of national security; at first, it's believed to be a search for biological weapons, and it's pursued without any regard to it's cost." _ Tyler sat up before continuing,  _ "This, councilors, is where, like these stories go, the Hero enters; he develops certain abilities, can do things his fellow man cannot, and has this power in his very blood, as it's later revealed through blood work. Our politician's group approaches our hero, offering him a cozy position in the project, trying to offer our hero what they think he's been seeking most of his life up to that point - but our hero refuses, sensing something is off with this group. So begins the war, between our hero and this shadowy group. Most would imagine such a war impossible to fight alone, but this hero does so anyway, during which he discovers that the real aim of this project is power - complete and total hegemonic domination. The project in question, however, ends violently, as our hero succeeds in ending it, and is branded a terrorist for it; unfortunately, the efforts of those involved was not in vain, and a new way to wage war is born from the blood of one of the victims." _ Tyler leaned on the podium, almost in a sinister fashion.  _ "Now, imagine a virus - the most terrifying and virulent virus you can, and then imagine that you, and you alone, hold the cure. But, if your ultimate goal is power, then how would you best use such a weapon? It's at this point, in our story, that along comes a spider. He is a man seemingly without conscience, for whom the ends always justify the means, and he is the man who suggests that the target should not be an enemy of the country, but rather the country itself. Three targets are chosen to maximize the effect of the attack - a school, a train station, and a water treatment plant. Several hundred die within the first few weeks." _ Tyler sat back.  _ "Fueled by the media, fear and panic spread quickly, fracturing and dividing the country until, at last, the true goal comes into view. Before the Grey Death crisis, no one would have predicted the results of the election that year - no one - and then, not long after, lo and behold, a miracle. Some believed it was the work of God, himself, but it actually was a pharmaceutical company, controlled by certain party members, which made them all obscenely rich."  _ Tyler paused to take a breath.  _ "A year later, several extremists are identified, captured, tried, convicted, and executed, in a highly-publicized event, while a memorial was built to canonize their alleged victims. But the end result, the true genius behind this grand master plan was the  _ fear.  _ Fear became the ultimate tool of this government, and through it, our businessman-turned politician was ultimately elected by the people to the highest office in America, the Presidency." _ Tyler paused to scoff, almost scornfully.  _ "Most would assume that this would be the end of the story, and the rest, as they say, would be history; but fortunately, this is  _ not  _ the end, as our hero remained active in the shadows. Having already been branded a terrorist, he had to duck out of the spotlight and vanish, and most on our politician's group believed him dead - which allowed the hero to work unhindered. His friends were safe, at least for the moment, and he was appalled and disgusted with this group, with the fear they spread. They tried to draw him out with those executions, because they felt he would rush to the rescue of these people; the trials, the events, the executions, were all publicized to draw him out, but our hero had accepted long ago that the good of the many often outweighed the needs of the few. Trouble with that approach is, as you might understand, that one eventually runs out of people to sacrifice, especially when facing long odds on one's own." _ Tyler shifted in his chair.  _ "But, after the executions, the party believes that the hero would no longer pose a threat, having learned this via intercepted messages and communiques that the enemy never realized had been read. This meant that our hero had better odds, however slight, at beating this enemy that took innocent lives for seemingly no reason. So our hero goes on the offensive, spreading the truths he'd discovered over the years. The public is understandably disgusted, and cries for justice; however, our hero only had theories and conjectures at the time, nothing to compel an impeachment inquiry - in response, our politician, outraged our hero is still alive, orchestrates a number of incidents, and tries to pin the blame on our hero. Our hero, while having no proof of the now President's crimes, has more than enough evidence of his own innocence, and the public cries for blood. Just as our politician had gained so much power, and tried to change the laws so he could stay in office indefinitely, he was starting to lose it - and there we have the lesson that all who gain power are afraid to lose that power."  _ Tyler popped his neck before taking a breath to continue,  _ "It is at this point in our story that things change - the public begins to see the dark side of their president, and the more he tries to defend himself and his party, the guiltier he looks; however, without evidence, which this party has expertly controlled, they cannot simply impeach him and charge him with the same crimes he tried to pin on our hero, and our hero is hailed as a hero for the first time. But with a Tyrant in power, our hero continues to stay out of the spotlight until he is certain the tyrant can't pick his nose without someone knowing about it. Then, the next election comes along, and our politician is voted out of office by a landslide in what is termed as the most important election of the century. But this is not where the story ends, either, as our politician had a contingency for this very event, a contingency our hero knew nothing about. The politician and his group vanished, and thought gone for good - but they deployed a virus, a computer virus, that subtly hacked into every nuclear missile silo in the world, and aimed the nukes everywhere, at every major population center they could target, starting with Washington, D.C. The result was that, on the eve of the new President being sworn in, the day our hero was due to receive a medal and felt he could finally settle down, the world was plunged into an abyss of nuclear fire and radiation; not only that, but every volcano on the planet, by means even our hero never understood, was set off, like a giant time bomb, and the world was covered in clouds of ash and soot. Only our politician's group, locked away in bunkers they'd constructed in the years before and during our politician's presidency, and a few groups of survivors, were able to survive the blast. Those outside the blast zones built walls - that never helped. It was then that this group identified themselves as Majestic Twelve, and they began recruiting, or enslaving, anyone they could find. Our hero continued to wage his war against them, saving those he could, for four centuries, until they mysteriously vanished. A few years, give or take, after they disappear, our hero stumbles across one of their facilities, and learns that his enemy went to another world, to try and do to that world what they did to the hero's world. So, with a sense some might call vengeance but our hero calls duty, he followed them through, and here the hero sits before you, telling his story." _ Tyler sat up straight. "Our politician? A man named Robert Page. His lieutenant? Walter Simons. And our hero? Well, he sits before you - one Tyler Horgus."

A long, uncomfortable pause follows this long-winded story. Finally, Emera spoke, "Can you prove any of this?"

"I wouldn't be telling you any of it if I couldn't at this point," Tyler answered. He tapped his gauntlets.

"Tyler," Alice asked, "Why didn't you tell us any of this before?"

"Because, Minister, at the time, it was not your war to fight," Tyler responded. "I did not want to involve you in my conflict unless I had no other choice, and even now, I wonder if it really is a good idea."

"Good idea or not, we need you," Drake said. "You understand Majestic Twelve better than anyone in this room. We'd be fools to cast you aside."

"I agree," Haman agreed. "But the first thing we need to do is see to your recovery."

"If you are to coordinate with us on this issue, we need you at your full strength," Grace said. Tyler smiled.

"I am humbled by your kindness and understanding on the matter," he said. In the back of his mind, he wondered what this would mean... both for him, and his would-be dragoness girlfriend...


	6. Episode Six: Romance

Episode Six

Romance

Anna was shocked to hear the full tale of Tyler's conflict - how it began, what happened prior to the cataclysm, the events that followed, and culminating in their present situation. She knew Tyler was fighting a war on his own, but she never knew much in the way of details. The details Tyler described at the meeting with the council almost made her puke. How was he still alive after so much hell? The memories from the cataclysm alone would have driven a lesser man to suicide. But, in spite of this, she remained determined to help him, to nurse him back to health and be there for him. She wanted to see him finally end this centuries-spanning war. She wanted him to see he was no longer alone. On this, Anna and the council agreed. So, following the council meeting, Anna and Bryce took Tyler back to Anna's apartment, where she laid him down on the bed. The entire trip, none of them said a word. Nothing needed to be said. The tale had been laid bare. Bryce stuck around for a little bit, but eventually returned to the police station, leaving Anna alone with Tyler. At that point, Tyler had fallen asleep for a nap. Anna couldn't blame him; he'd been through hell only hours ago, when he took the blast of a bomb and then a sniper's bullet for her. She sat next to him on the bed, and just stared at him. She remembered her actions before the meeting - being so tender and loving... kissing him. Would it really be so bad, she wondered? They'd be an odd pair, but Anna didn't give two shits about what other people thought; what really mattered was how they felt about each other. It was then that she realized she'd reached out and was about to stroke his cheek. She hesitated, at first, but then rand the back of her fingers along his skin. It was soft, and his cheek was rough where his hair grew and was subsequently shaved repeatedly over the long, uncounted years. Humans grew hair in odd places, but Anna imagined she'd adapt to this. She continued to silently stroke his cheek, then ran her hand along his arm, which was rested on his belly. She gently slid her hand over his, then gingerly gripped it. Tyler, perhaps unconsciously, closed his hand on hers. This just made Anna smile. Maybe he wanted this, too. Anna reluctantly got up, but not before planting a tender kiss on Tyler's forehead before returning to the foyer in time to hear the doorbell ring. She went to the door and answered, and was somewhat surprised to see Sebastian there.

"Can I help you, officer?" Anna asked. Sebastian smiled.

"Ironically, that's what I'm here to do for you," he said. "I've been assigned to help look after Tyler until he's back on his feet." Anna smiled and chuckled.

"Assuming he even wants your help," she jested, moving aside to allow Sebastian in. She lead him to the master bedroom where Tyler was, where he had evidently awakened.

"I thought I heard the doorbell ring," he said.

"Tyler, this is Sebastian, a good friend of Bryce's - he's been assigned to help out while you're recovering," Anna introduced Sebastian.

"Saw the guns you outfitted the officers outside with - quite impressive," Sebastian complimented. Tyler just chuckled softly.

"Those were just disruptor carbines - hardly that impressive," he said. "You want impressive..." Tyler materialized a metallic-black assault rifle with an angled, somewhat rectangular receiver, an oval-shaped, green colored ammo counter behind an slanted fore section, tactical foregrip, elongated barrel with an attachment at the end whose function Anna couldn't discern, a rectangular stock behind the pistol grip, and a holographic sight. "... try this. BR77A2 Combat Assault Rifle - chambered for .308-caliber Energized Armor-Piercing rounds with a seventy-two round magazine."

"BR77... A2?" Sebastian repeated with a befuddled expression.

"It's one model in a series - the A1 is my burst-fire Battle Rifle; A3 is my Light Machine Gun; and A4 is my Designated Marksman Rifle," Tyler explained.

"Just how many weapons do you have in those gauntlets?" Sebastian asked. Tyler smiled and softly chuckled.

"I carry a fully-stocked armory in my transporter buffers, among other things," he told him. "Food, water, salvaged spices and grown, ammunition... you name it, chances are, I've got it. Been gathering it for centuries."

"You have got to be the best-equipped survivalist I have ever met, then," Sebastian chortled. "Do those buffers have a limit?" Tyler simply shrugged. Sebastian gave a whistle indicating he was impressed. "That kind of tech would be handy around here. Speaking of which... is it true, you helped Anna develop a cure for cancer?" Tyler looked at Anna.

"What?" Anna said innocently. "You think I'd take all the credit? I'll admit to being selfish at times, but I'm not  _ that _ selfish." Tyler just laughed lightly.

"It was a nanomechanical cure, but yes," he answered Sebastian's question. "Now... with regards to you helping Anna look after me while I recover. I cannot, in good conscience, permit you to do so... unarmed."

"Bryce thought you might want to arm me - so one of the other runners gave me the crash-course you gave them on the use of your weapons," Sebastian said. "What do you have for me?"

"Well, the others outside are using Disruptor Carbines because we're in an urban environment; but you need something more... compact, given we're indoors. So..." Tyler materialized a small, compact weapon, different than what Anna had seen from Tyler before; it had a small scope, a side-loaded magazine, an evident suppressor, a small foregrip, and extendable stock. "... M7 Caseless SMG. Don't worry about the magazine; I rigged it so it's ammo is self-replicating." He handed the weapon to Sebastian, who accepted it, then examined it. It didn't take him long to figure out how to extend the stock. He aimed it around the room, and once comfortable with it, settled in on the couch in the living room. Anna noticed he kept glancing out the window, and would occasionally get up and look outside briefly before sitting back down. It was after one such trip that he finally spoke, when Anna was about to turn on the TV:

"Tell me something," he requested, "Are you and Tyler... you know, close? Like, dating?"

Anna smiled. "Not really your business, Sebastian," she told him. "Who I date is no one's concern save my own."

"In other words, yes," Sebastian laughed quietly, trying not to wake Tyler again. "Mavers is gonna flip when he hears about this."

"He already knows," Anna scoffed.

"He does?" Sebastian asked.

"He was there when I volunteered to look after Tyler personally immediately after the incident," Anna explained. "He'd been through so much... and he nearly died protecting my family and I. I owe him this much."

"So that's what Maverick was referring to when he said you'd shown real devotion to someone you cared about," Sebastian said. "Hnh. So you're... you're serious about him."

"Problem?" Anna asked smugly with a toothy grin.

"Not at all," Sebastian chuckled. "Personally, I think it's great. From what Maverick has said, he seems like he'd be great with you."

_ "I heard that!" _ Tyler called out from the master bedroom.

"Go to sleep, Tyler!" Anna called back.

_ "Difficult with my would-be girlfriend and her colleague chatting about me nonchalantly in the living room; ever heard of the term 'Classified'?"  _ Tyler responded.

"Can it, Tyler - and go to sleep," Anna called out jestingly.

_ "Yes, ma'am," _ Tyler sighed. Anna laughed.

"Seems some of your personality has rubbed off on him," Sebastian chuckled.

"Believe me, the reverse is just as true," Anna admitted.

"How so?" Sebastian asked.

"I've become a lot more friendlier, you might have noticed; I also am a lot more considerate, and I think of others more - namely Tyler," Anna responded.

"Hnh. Imagine that," Sebastian chuckled.

"And he and I figured out a cure for cancer together. And we worked together for months. Most on the outside wouldn't see how he and I just... got along. He and I, you might say are kindred spirits," Anna continued. "You should have seen how he and I go back and forth - I think Damion once said we 'bicker like an old married couple'. But talking to him... just makes me feel--"

"Dear god!" Sebastian laughed, "You really  _ are _ smitten, aren't you?"

"I am not!" Anna protested innocently, though in the back of her mind, she realized she was talking like someone who really was smitten about a guy. She couldn't help but picture herself with Tyler. He was a good man - but marred by harsh events, as evidenced by the story he told of his life before he came to the dragon world.

"Even if you're not willing to say it now, it shows - you love the man," Sebastian said. "It's not uncommon - guy saves a girl, naturally that establishes a bond between them."

"Actually, our relationship began well before that," Anna admitted.

"Oh?" Sebastian replied. "When did it begin?"

"When I found him sleeping on the street," Anna stated. "He was... having a nightmare, I guess. Couldn't really tell at the time. But when I met him, he looked like he recognized me. Then there was that fiasco with the blue-light bandits that made the mistake of attacking him."

"Yeah, I read the report on that," Sebastian said. "Honestly, I'm surprised he took down that many runners on his own. And the subsequent incident when they tried to abduct you. Where did he learn to fight like that?"

"I don't know; but I imagine, spending all those years on his own, he learned how to handle himself," Anna answered. "After all, he would have had to, considering he was fighting a one-man war against a trained army."

"And that war led here," Sebastian said. "And he tried to not involve us, but had no choice when it became clear that we have a common enemy. Now he and us will be fighting to eliminate a shadowy group, and keep them from doing to our world what they did to his."

"My motivation in that was more...  _ is _ more... personal," Anna admitted. "... Tyler's the first guy I found I can genuinely get along with. Sure, Maverick was great, but our mistake was getting too absorbed in our work. More than a few times, Tyler has stressed to me the value of having a good work-life balance. A lot of what he has said to me in the last few months makes sense. Maverick married my sister, my parents keep hinting at me seeking a mate, and then... I met Tyler. Now, I find myself right where I was when I was dating Maverick - only this time, my would-be boyfriend is blessed - or cursed - to be immortal, he has technology I can't even begin to touch, he's wise well beyond his years, and above all else, he was willing to sacrifice himself to save me." Anna looked to Sebastian. "Is it so wrong that I would feel so strongly about a man from another world?"

Sebastian smiled and shook his head. "Never. Love is blind to such things, Anna. Listen to what you're saying; your voice changes, your expression softens, your entire demeanor shifts when you talk about Tyler. You present all the classic signs of a woman head-over-heels in love with a man. I fully realize, you don't feel ready to tell him. I know what it's like to admit your feelings too soon to the person you love. But for once, Anna... listen to your heart. You know Tyler is devoted to you; you saw it yourself. He pushed you clear of a bomb's blast, took that blast himself, and not only survived, but went on a rampage against assassins that would have killed you if they couldn't capture you. The man nearly died to protect you. I dare say he loves you - enough to lay down his immortal life for you. Even where I'm from, a man doesn't nearly kill himself protecting a woman unless he loves her that much."

Listening to Sebastian, Anna mentally admitted to herself that he made a lot of sense. She knew she'd changed in the time that she'd known Tyler. And it was evident others had noticed. But was she ready to admit she loved Tyler? Were either of them ready have such an unusual relationship? Anna didn't give a shit what other people thought of it - her concern was... could she bear such love again? Hell, why was she thinking about it? She already shared her apartment with him, she bought a bed for them both to sleep in - she kissed him, of all things. She was happy with him. For the first time in years, she had a man that was just as intelligent as her, could take her selfish behavior in his stride and keep caring, he was protective of her, and clearly...

"... he loves me," Anna whispered.

Sebastian pointed at Anna. "There. You're doing it again." Anna blushed intensely.

"Is... is this what love feels like?" Anna asked sheepishly.

"You've felt love before, Anna; you said so yourself," Sebastian told her.

"But... it feels different, this time," Anna admitted, "Stronger."

"And what does that tell you?" Sebastian said softly.

Anna clutched her chest. "That... I had forgotten what it felt like," she said.

"Come on, Anna - you and I both know it's more than that," Sebastian urged.

Anna sighed, her breath trembling. "I... I love him so much," she said softly, "He did so much for me, and never asked anything in return. He nearly died protecting me, and that alone shows how much I mean to him. Not only that, but he helped me find a cure for the cancer I, myself, was afflicted with... why am I so afraid to tell him that I love him?"

"You know why," Sebastian said. "You don't want him to reject you. But you already know..."

"... he won't," Anna concluded. "He said himself he's been alone most of his life; why would he turn down the heart of a woman he clearly loves?"

Sebastian grinned. "Maybe you should ask him that," he suggested. Anna frowned, then realized Sebastian wasn't looking at her anymore. Following his gaze, she turned to see Tyler standing there behind her. And tears were in his eyes. Anna's first thought was that he'd had another nightmare; then, she realized he'd heard the entire conversation, and walked out to her, injured as he was, to confront her. And now, face to face with the man she just admitted she loves, she was at a complete loss for words. Such as it was, she didn't have to say anything.

"Sebastian is right, Anna," Tyler told her. "Everything I've done... everything I do... for you... is because I love you. You've heard it before; I've been alone most of my life. I know how deep it hurts. I never wanted that for you. If nothing else, I wanted you to be happy knowing someone cared about you. But to hear you... even just telling a friend you love me... you realize how that makes me feel? I haven't had a female in general that had such feelings for me in centuries." Anna stood up and moved around the couch to stand just inches before Tyler. Her body trembled as she spoke:

"I never expected to wind up like this when I met you... yes, Tyler - I love you. I love you so much, and I've never felt so much in love with anyone. I... I want you, Tyler. You, and you alone. I don't want to be alone anymore - and I know you don't either. And I don't want you to suffer anymore. You deserve better."

"We both deserve better, Anna," Tyler told her. "We both have been alone for far too long." He chuckled softly. "Four months ago, I could barely remember your name; now, I can't imagine a single day without you." Hearing Tyler say that made Anna's heart swell. He reached over, running a hand over her cheek, and she leaned her head into it. He gently pulled her head to lean on his, which she went along with as she reached out to embrace him. She pressed her chest against his, and felt his heart beat with hers, and for the first time in so many years, she felt a tenderness that wasn't there before. Instinctively, she moved her muzzle to his mouth, and pressed her lips against his. He subtly pushed back, and they shared a tender, passionate kiss as she gripped him and he traced her horns with his hands. They remained lip locked for a time, until they parted to breathe. Anna then noticed her shaking had stopped, and she remained leaning on Tyler. Unexpectedly, Tyler lost his balance, and Anna caught him mid-fall. She chuckled, and helped him to his feet.

"That's what you get for getting out of bed in your condition," she jested.

"Hard to sleep when my girlfriend is chatting so loud just a few yards away," Tyler shot back. "This is why I have music running when I sleep." Anna just giggled.

"So run some music," she told him. She thought for a moment, then suggested, "Or maybe I'll just crawl in there with you and make sure you don't get up." Tyler laughed lovingly.

"Would you, please? That'd be so great," he jested. Anna just laughed, practically seeing the sarcasm dripping from his mouth. She laid Tyler in the bed and pulled the covers over him, then sat at the edge of the bed. She couldn't help it when her expression softened, looking at him. Now it was official: Tyler is her boyfriend.

_ Mom and dad are gonna flip when they hear about this, _ Anna thought, amused. It was what they wanted - if perhaps not in the form they expected. And then Shea... she's gonna be outright  _ thrilled _ . Anna remembered, immediately after the incident, when she and Anna were carrying Tyler to Anna's home, Shea said that he'd make an extraordinary husband. Had Shea mentioned that months ago, Anna would feel it was both inappropriate and unlikely. Now... such a thing seemed a lot less outlandish. Anna felt a smile cross her face, and she chuckled at the thought.

"Did you just remember the comment your sister made about me as your husband?" Tyler chuckled. Anna snapped out of her thoughts and focused on Tyler.

"How would you know? Were you reading my mind?" she asked. Tyler looked innocent.

"Invade the mind of another?" he retorted. "It is not something done carelessly, or when there is nothing to be gained. Besides, I was just thinking a similar thought when you had that amused chuckle."

"I think it's a bit early in this relationship to be thinking about marriage..." Anna said softly. She moved the covers aside. "... but not too soon for me to snuggle up next to you and keep you safe." She slid under the covers, and covered them both, then wrapped her arms around Tyler. "... I have to admit, you're very cuddly..."

"... says the dragoness with the soft, comfy underbelly..." Tyler responded. Anna just chuckled softly.

"... wonder what you'll be like once you're fully recovered..." Anna whispered, closing her eyes.

"... I'll be at your side, tackling new and important research..." Tyler told her. "I'm always gonna be at your side - because I love you. I always will."

"I love you, too," Anna responded. She sighed contentedly, then added, "Get some sleep, sweetheart." With that, Anna and Tyler both went quiet, and drifted off to sleep.

**{{{{{ }}}}}**

Sebastian had quietly followed Anna to the master bedroom, and stood so his shadow was just shy of the door frame, grinning ear to ear. Finally, Anna had her soulmate. Sebastian knew Tyler was the one when he learned Tyler nearly died protecting Anna. He had no doubt the two would accomplish great things together. Great enough was their cure for cancer - but Sebastian knew that would not be the only thing they did. Not by a long shot. Sebastian turned and returned to the living room, still gripping the M7 SMG. He had to admit, the weapon was heavier than he imagined it would be. But then, this was a Submachine gun - Tyler's Assault Rifle would doubtlessly be much heavier. Regardless, Sebastian stayed awake, helping himself to some coffee Anna left out, and kept his eyes peeled for anything. It was then that Sebastian's instinct was to go to the door. On a hunch, he peered outside, and saw Maverick and Shea outside. Before either could knock, Sebastian opened the door, surprising them. He put a finger to his lips, then ushered them inside.

"We heard the news," Shea said. "His story is all over the net. How's Tyler holding up?"

"He's better than he ever was before," Sebastian responded quietly.

"Well, yeah - I imagined he'd kept that in for a while," Maverick commented. "We came here to see how we could help."

"That's not what I was referencing," Sebastian said. He hitched a thumb towards the master bedroom, then tapped his chest where his heart would be. Shea's jaw dropped.

"You're shitting me!" she mouthed. Sebastian shook his head with a smile.

"They just admitted their love for one another. They're both in there right now - but keep your voices down; they're sleeping," Sebastian told them.

Maverick smiled and chuckled quietly. "I had a feeling those two would wind up together. And I'm truly happy for them both." Maverick paused to look toward the master bedroom, then back to Sebastian. "Bryce and Naomi also want to pitch in, they just don't know how."

"Well, right now, the focus is getting Tyler back on his feet again," Sebastian said. "Once he's up,  _ then _ we can worry about Majestic Twelve and ascertaining where they are."

"Why don't we cook them breakfast for when they wake?" Shea suggested.

"I'm not sure that'd go over well with Anna," Maverick whispered. "This is her house."

"Believe me, Mavers, she's a lot more laid back than when you knew her," Sebastian said. "I think it would help lift spirits, now that they're officially in love."

"Lift spirits? What, is she depressed about that?" Maverick asked.

"You know what I mean! It'd be a sign that we support her in this!" Sebastian responded defensively.

"That doesn't sound any better," Maverick said.

"I get it," Shea stated. "For now, though... let us be silent. I don't want to wake either of them." It was then that everyone present heard a deep, rumbling, draconic sound akin to that of a massive dragon sleeping in a cave, coming from the master bedroom. Sebastian, Maverick and Shea all quietly walked over to investigate, where they discovered Tyler, himself, was the source of the sound. The steady rising and falling of his bare chest, wrapped in numerous bandages, indicated he was fast asleep. Anna was fast asleep next to him, a smile on her face, her head nuzzled beneath his chin. She breathed steadily and happily next to the man she loved.

"He snores like one of us," Shea whispered as they all vacated the area.

"Did you see the smile on her face?" Maverick asked. "I don't think I've seen her happier."

"So... cook them breakfast in the morning?" Sebastian suggested.

"Breakfast for the happy couple? I'm in," Shea chuckled.

"Ah, hell - you got my vote," Maverick agreed.

**{{{{{ }}}}}**

Tyler awoke the next morning on his back, his left arm snaked around Anna with his hand resting on her side. She had her head nuzzled under his chin, a big grin on her muzzle. Her eyes were still closed, but by all indications, she was not asleep.

"Finally, you're awake," Anna said to him. "I was considering waking you up."

"I do hope you were gonna do so gently," Tyler joked.

"Hell no," Anna responded. "Try jerk the covers off and drag your ass out of bed." Tyler laughed, noting his new girlfriend's sense of humor. It was when he inhaled through his nose that he caught the smell of cooking bacon.

"Is...  _ is Sebastian cooking _ ?" he asked.

"Easy, hon, it's okay," Anna cautioned Tyler. "He wanted to. Him, Shea and Maverick." Tyler raised an eyebrow. He had no idea they were present. "And on that note, Sebastian kinda told Shea and Maverick that you and I are... well, in a relationship, and Shea got so excited, she... kinda told my parents."

_ Oh, shit, _ Tyler thought. "And what are they saying?"

Anna looked more annoyed now. "They won't shut the hell up about how they think it's great and 'overdue', like they were hoping for decades that I would hook up with someone." Then, her pleased, pleasant, loving expression returned. "But at least they support us being together."

Tyler laid his head back, staring at the ceiling. "I wish my family could be here to see us," he said.

"I'm sure they'd be proud," Anna assured him.

"Would they?" Tyler asked.

"Of course. After all, you have what none of them were lucky enough to get," Anna affirmed.

"What's that?" Tyler queried. Anna smiled.

"The heart, love, and loyalty of a beautiful dragoness," she told him. Tyler couldn't help but smile at that. He reached over and put a hand on her cheek, leaning his head on hers.

"You're right," he admitted, "they would be proud of that. Of all the women... of all the dragonesses... that I could have loved, I got to love you. I know mom would be  _ thrilled  _ to know you're my girlfriend."

"Maybe your father would be proud, too," Anna suggested.

"Maybe - I'll never know. I never knew him," Tyler sighed. "Wish I did. Wish I could introduce you to him."

"If he's anything like you, I'm sure I'd like him," Anna chuckled. "He'd make a good father-in-law."

Tyler hummed in thought. "You know what's strange?" he asked.

"What?" Anna asked back.

"Despite mother telling me my father was KIA, I found out his body was never recovered. Over the years, I occasionally came across vague mentions of him,"

Anna looked up at Tyler. "Think he's still alive after all these years?" she queried.

"If he is, he'd be pretty damn old," Tyler said. "If he was as immortal as I am, and he survived the cataclysm... there'd have to be a reason he stayed away from me all these years."

"In other words, he'd have some explaining to do," Anna surmised. Tyler just smiled.

"Even so, I'd be happy knowing that just one part of my family survived," Tyler said.

"As would I - I could look forward to calling him my father-in-law," Anna giggled. Tyler chuckled.

"We've come a long way since the night we met," he said. Anna's grip on him tightened.

"That... reminds me. The night we met, when I woke you up... you looked like you recognized me," Anna told him. Tyler planted a tender kiss on the top of her head.

"I did," he affirmed.

"In what way?" Anna asked.

"The dream I was having when you woke me - I was dreaming of  _ you _ . I was dreaming... we were getting married," Tyler explained. "But I was terrified when you woke me, not because I saw something terrible in that dream, something that destroyed us, but because I remembered I was at war, and I didn't want you to get involved. But, against my expectations, you did. At this point, though... I can't say I blame you." Anna smiled and snuggled closer to Tyler.

It was then that another voice made itself known. "Tyler? Anna? You two awake?" Maverick said from the doorway.

"No," Tyler and Anna said in unison. Maverick just laughed.

"Well, since you are, might as well get a bite to eat - you, especially, Tyler, given your current condition," Maverick said, still not stepping into the room.

"Some food would be nice - and from the smell of it, you're cooking the classic eggs and bacon," Tyler chuckled. Anna chuckled with him, and then got out of bed to help him up and guide him to the dining room. Tyler was still very weak from the prior incident, as much as he hated to admit it. But he was, for the first time in four centuries, happy. He ate and talked and laughed as he would have years ago, had his life not been stolen by a tyrant. And the entire time, Anna remained at his side. Anna's parents paid them a visit, to show their support of them, expressing their hopes that, one day, Tyler and Anna would settle down and have a family. Tyler wondered if that was even possible, but still admitted he liked the idea - as embarrassing as it was for Anna to think of herself as a mother. Even so, Tyler knew it would still be a long road before he could safely pursue such things - Majestic Twelve was still out there - and they knew Tyler was alive. But now, unlike before, Tyler had allies. He was no longer alone in this fight - and it was a fight he intended to see  _ finished _ .


	7. Episode Seven: New Intel, Same Fight

Episode Seven

New Intel, Same Fight

Weeks passed. Then those weeks became a couple of months. Tyler recovered fully, much to everyone's surprise, and was back to work with Anna in the lab. And they continued to grow closer every day. Bryce continued to look for signs of MJ12 activity, but it was as though they had simply disappeared. Tyler felt there was no way they'd just leave - they'd be unable to. Local Police forces, armed with weapons Tyler provided, kept the Portal locked down. And they wouldn't just leave a loose end like Tyler active. Not after everything he'd done to sabotage their efforts. No, Tyler and Bryce agreed - MJ12 had a base somewhere.

Still, Tyler was content to let Bryce and Maverick and the Police Force handle this - they knew to contact Tyler if they came across anything - while Tyler continued his work with Anna. But it wasn't just the lab they were seen together in, anymore - they actively started dating. But one particular would stand out to Tyler. It started as they were leaving the Production Facility - and heading to a date at a Diner some distance away.

"... You know, my life wasn't always clandestine activity," Tyler told Anna as they conversed while approaching the diner. "I'm good at sneaking around and avoiding detection, but it wasn't always like that."

"I figured that much, hon," Anna responded. "But you never did tell me much about your life before everything went to hell. What did you do after High School?"

"Well, I worked as a dishwasher for a restaurant for a while - till a bad day got me fired," Tyler said. He paused to open the door for Anna. "Then I found menial work taking care of my mother's house and most especially her Horses."

"Taking care of horses? So you cleaned out stalls filled with shit for a while? What a shitty job," Anna remarked.

"No shit - no pun intended," Tyler agreed as he stepped through the door after Anna. Anna just laughed at Tyler's comment. A waitress - a Runner - approached the two.

"Welcome to Ryan's - please follow me," she said. She led Anna and Tyler to an adjacent table, where Tyler pulled out a chair for Anna, and let her be seated before sitting down himself.

"Such a gentleman," Anna chuckled.

"Where I'm from, it was called chivalry," Tyler said.

"And what can we get you for drinks?" the waitress asked.

"Cola for me," Anna responded.

"Make that two," Tyler said. The waitress nodded, jotted that down, and headed for the back. "Picking up my drinking habits?" Tyler asked Anna.

Anna smiled and answered, "Among other things." She paused to chuckle. "I guess it was inevitable that I would pick up a few things from you."

Tyler laughed lightly. "Imagine that. A dragoness picking up the bad habits of a human. What else are you gonna surprise me with, sweetheart?"

"Hm," Anna responded, mocking a thoughtful look. "Maybe using a rifle. Taking headshots. Learn to throw grenades." Tyler just laughed.

"Very funny, dear," he told her. They both shared a loving chuckle, and a tender kiss. It was when their lips parted that a male voice said aloud,

"Check it out. Freaks in love." Tyler and Anna turned their heads to see a runner looking at them from over his shoulder. His wife tried to look away.

"I think they heard you," she said.

"So... what, one of your own kind wasn't good enough?" the male runner scoffed, clearly addressing Anna. "You had to hook up with a Human?"

"For your information, this 'human' is as Dragon as you or I," Anna growled. "And whom I choose to date and love is not your concern, asshat."

"Ooh, struck a nerve, there," the runner taunted. "How do you know your  _ boyfriend  _ \- and I use that term  _ very _ loosely - isn't in with the other humans?"

"Because I trust him," Anna responded. The runner then directed his ire at Tyler.

"You may have her fooled, but you don't fool me," he told Tyler. "One of these days, people are gonna see you for what you are - a Spy."

"Take it from me, pal," came Damion's voice from an adjacent table, "You don't want to provoke him. He can strangle your ass without ever laying a hand on you."

"And he fought to protect my family and I from other humans," Anna added. "You have no right to call him spy or anything else!"

"Oh, don't I?" the runner hissed, rising from his seat. He glowered at Anna. "You developed a cure for Cancer. You gave hope to so many. You could have had any dragon you wanted. And you choose a human? An alien not from this world?"

"FYI, jackass, the human you're insulting was the one who played a pivotal role in making that breakthrough," Anna sneered. "Only reason I didn't directly acknowledge that was because he asked me not to."

"Woman, you need some sense knocked into you!" the runner snapped, reaching for Anna. But Tyler was faster, and in a split second, had a disruptor pressed under the runner's chin. The wife yelped in surprise,

"Daniel! How many times have I told you!"

"You made three mistakes,  _ Daniel _ ," Tyler hissed. "First - you didn't know who the hell you were messing with; second, you picked the wrong place to pick a fight; but the worst mistake you made... was lashing at my girlfriend." He threw Daniel to the floor. "I have survived a centuries-spanning war and a cataclysm - I have faced threats far more terrifying than some conservative punk who thinks he can dictate how others live their lives. I got enough of that shit back home -  _ I don't need it from you! _ " He pointed the disruptor at Daniel's head. "You screw with either of us again--"

"Tyler," Anna cut him off. There was a pause before Tyler lowered the disruptor and stored it in his transporter buffer.

"Tyler?" Daniel repeated with a frown. "You're Tyler Horgus?"

"Damn right," Tyler huffed. "What? Surprised to know I'm human?"

"I didn't realize you were - I didn't think you were one of us," Daniel said. "I thought you were one of  _ them _ ."

"If by 'them' you mean Majestic Twelve, then no - I'm not. I've spent centuries fighting them," Tyler growled. "They took everything from me. My home, my family, my friends..."

Daniel rose to his feet. "Then you might be interested - they have a camp out in the woods," he stated. "I've been there."

Tyler looked Daniel in the eye. "Why didn't you report this?" he asked.

"I was told to report it to you," Daniel responded.

"How do you know they don't know you know?" Tyler inquired.

"Trust me," Daniel's wife assured Tyler, "Daniel may be a bit of a conservative jackass, but one thing he was always good at was stealth - it's how he hunts."

"That's how I found it - I was hunting. And I tracked human footprints to a camp - active. I immediately broke off and went to the police. They said that they would look into it, but if I ever ran into you, to tell you," Daniel explained.

"How long ago was this?" Anna queried.

"This morning," Daniel answered. "For the record, again - I didn't know you were Tyler Horgus. Just took you for another human."

"Again, I'm only human in body," Tyler told Daniel. "Thanks to the efforts of medical personnel, I have learned that my blood is as dragon as yours."

"Yeah, we heard," the wife said. "It was very heroic, how you fought to defend Anna. Daniel here needs to learn to think before he runs his mouth. But he's not always an ass."

"Believe me, madame, I've known worse people," Tyler sighed. He looked to Anna. She nodded, and they sat back down. The manager, a flier, then arrived.

"I am sorry for that incident, and I hope you don't think ill of us for it," he said.

"We don't," Anna responded. "And we're not gonna let it ruin our date. We both knew there would be people that didn't support our relationship."

"I'm glad to hear you're not taking this hard," the manager said. He looked to Tyler. "Are you alright, sir?"

"I thought I escaped that kind of prejudice when I left my home world - but that's not the only thing that's on my mind," Tyler murmured. He hitched a thumb at Daniel. "That man had knowledge of enemy locations - and he reported it to the police. Why didn't they contact me?"

"Probably because they wanted to be sure of this before involving you, honey," Anna assured him. "I know you've been fighting MJ12 for centuries. I get that, But let us contribute to the fight."

"I know," Tyler sighed. "Just not used to having allies. Never had them before."

"Let alone a girlfriend, I'd bet," Anna chuckled. The comment elicited an amused, loving chuckle from Tyler.

"Amazing, the distance we've come in the short time we've known one another," he commented.

"Six months may seem short to you, but to me, it feels like a lot longer," Anna said as their drinks were brought to them.

"Well, then - what are we having?" the waitress asked.

"I'll have a nine-ounce sirloin steak," Anna requested.

"And I'll be having the same," Tyler said. "Medium-Rare, if you would, please." Anna made a look of being impressed and amused.

"Man after my own heart," she commented. The waitress laughed softly, jotted down the orders, and left for the kitchen.

"Does it ever bother you that we seem to have nearly everything in common?" Tyler asked.

"Well, we both have different tastes in breakfast meals," Anna responded.

"I said 'nearly' everything, dear; no need to be snarky," Tyler told her. Anna just laughed. "Why do I get the impression you've got yet another snarky comment up your sleeve?" Tyler queried.

"Sleeve? What sleeve?" Anna shot back. Tyler hung his head and shook it in amusement.

"You really did pick up bad habits from me," he chuckled. "What have I done?" Anna laughed again.

"Come on, honey - I'm just messing with you," she told him.

"That's just it - you  _ never _ mess with anyone like that," Tyler replied. "Honestly, I'm surprised you'd do it to me."

Anna grinned ear to ear. "The unfortunate byproduct of influence from the Dragonborn," she said.

"I told you to stop calling me that," Tyler jokingly growled. "Last time I checked, I didn't have the Thu'um."

"Not yet, you don't," Anna joked.

"Oh, bite me," Tyler grumbled amusedly.

Anna lightly laughed and asked, "You sure you want me to?" They both shared a laugh. "I will admit one thing: I never expected to fall for a guy like you. When we first met in that alley, I thought I was just gonna take you to a homeless shelter and that would be that; but fortunately, luck was on our side."

"In my experience, hon, there is no such thing as luck," Tyler stated. "The Will of the Force is in all things, though it does allow us to forge our own destinies."

"Don't you find it funny, though?" Anna asked. "You're dating a Dragoness. Does that not seem odd to you?"

"Believe me, darling, stranger things have happened to me. If anything, I find the fact you and I are dating to be a bit... ironic," Tyler chuckled. "The Force works in mysterious ways - but there are times I'm not convinced it doesn't have a sense of humor."

"How so?" Anna inquired.

"I spent years alone, but longing for companionship. I've said it before, Anna - I've been alone most of my life. But the one woman I ended up loving - my one true lover - turned out to be a Dragoness; the one creature I always had a soft spot for," Tyler explained.

Anna smiled. "I'm glad it was me, then," she said. "But really - aren't you worried about all the..."

"... The people that won't like the fact you and I are together? Hell no. I don't give two shits about what they think," Tyler assured her. "My only concern is how you feel. You are all that matters to me."

Anna's smile broadened. Then, a thought came to her. "Tyler... you once told me you dreamed of the two of us getting married. Do you still see that dream?" she queried.

"From time to time - and each time is better than the last. As I see it: The closer you and I become, the more likely it is that said dream will become reality," Tyler stated.

"At this point, I'm starting to think it's a premonition," Anna chuckled.

"Wouldn't be the first time, honey - you know that," Tyler said with a big grin. Anna smiled and chuckled,

"Touche." It was at this moment that their meals were brought.

"Here you are, if there's anything else you need, let us know," the waitress said before heading to another table. Anna and Tyler picked up their drinks.

"To a life together," Tyler toasted.

"I'll drink to that," she agreed. "Together forever." They tapped their glasses against one another, and took a drink before digging into their meals. "So... what do you plan on doing after this thing with MJ12?" she asked after a couple bites.

"Do you really need me to spell it out for you, baby?" Tyler responded. "I fully intend to stay at your side, sweetheart - no way in hell am I gonna leave you."

"So... you wouldn't return home?" Anna queried.

"To what?" Tyler countered. "A world covered in death and decay? Nuclear fallout? Barely scraping by day to day? I stayed on that world because I was fighting Majestic Twelve - and they made the mistake of moving all their forces here. Why? I don't know. Point is, after they're gone, the people back home won't have anything to worry about anymore - they'll be free to rebuild without fearing being kidnapped in the dead of night." Tyler paused to look Anna dead in the eyes. "And you and I both know, I love you too much to leave you behind after MJ12 is gone. We've come too far together. Once MJ12 is defeated, my people's fate will no longer depend on my operations. There won't be any need for me there anymore. And I have you - who took me in when I had nothing, who sheltered me, fed me, and gave me the job I'll be doing long after MJ12 is gone."

Anna smiled and shook her head. "You are just the sweetest guy I've ever met," she said. "You'd willingly stay at my side, even if it means being away from your people. And I love you, too, baby... and I, too, recognize how much we've been through together. We'd be fools to end what we have after MJ12 is dust; and I want to see what else the Force throws our way."

"Funny to see you having faith in the Force," Tyler chuckled.

"Another thing I picked up from you," Anna said with a smile.

"Better be careful what you pick up from me," Tyler said jokingly. Anna laughed. They went back and forth, laughing and joking, as happy as can be. Tyler paid for the meals at the restaurant, and they both headed home - It was at the door to their apartment that they were met by Bryce and Maverick.

"Tyler! Thank god - we've been looking all over for you!" Maverick exclaimed.

"We have a situation," Bryce said. "A local--"

"Found an MJ12 camp, I know," Tyler cut him off. "We bumped into that local at Ryan's; why didn't you call me?"

"For one, we had to confirm the statement - Sebastian reported the camp is, indeed, active - but we also had to report this to the council - they decided you should head the operation there, seeing as you're the one with the guns," Bryce explained.

"Makes sense," Anna commented. "And I already know you're not gonna risk me in a combat action."

"Damn right, I'm not," Tyler growled. "But Bryce is right, I do have the guns. Have you called in support?"

"They'll be here in the morning," Maverick answered. "And yes, they have been made aware of the situation." Tyler nodded solemnly.

"Good... that's damn good. How many?"

"Dozen and a half runners, half dozen fliers, three Earth Dragons," Bryce said.

"Hm... no way we'll be playing this subtle. I'll need to replicate some serious hardware," Tyler said.

"We can discuss that in the morning," Bryce said. "For now, you get some rest." Tyler nodded, then slapped Bryce's shoulder before going into the apartment. Anna had no illusions about this - Tyler may not come back from this. But she had faith in him - and, like he noted at Ryan's, faith in the Force. She trusted he would come back to her. He had to.

Because he now had something to come home to...


	8. Episode Eight: First Strike

Episode Eight

First Strike

Just as Bryce had said, the dragon task force showed up in the town police station, and Tyler went to work replicating from his Transporter Buffers Assault Rifles and combat shields. For simplicity and uniformity, he replicated his own BR77A2 CAR for the Runners; Fliers got surveillance gear that would allow them to keep an eye on enemy positions at the camp from the air; for the Earth Dragons, including Bryce, Tyler had to get creative, but came up with an improvised combat armor comprised of a Nano-Kevlar Armorweave suit with a reinforced Titanium-A plating. Everyone got Combat shields. Tyler educated the task force on the weapons, armor, and shields, as well as the nature of the enemy they'd be facing. He left no doubt - Majestic Twelve would not give this up willingly. They would not go down without a fight. And it was possible, even with all the equipment provided, that some of them wouldn't be going home. They all understood. They knew the risks. And they were still willing to fight this threat.

Under Tyler's banner. He never pictured himself a squad leader, let alone the one spearheading this assault. But looking on the faces of those now under his command... Tyler felt confident. Fearless. He would not back down. In the centuries leading up to now, he never had. Not once. And now, as then, he moved out to take the fight to his enemy. But this time...  _ this time, he would do this right _ .

The trip was quiet - the Runners were very adept of moving unheard. Several times, he felt they were not there. They followed Daniel's directions, quietly creeping up on the MJ12 encampment. Just as reported, it was active - fliers radioed that there were sentries patrolling the perimeter, but strangely, several spots were not covered. Tyler wondered if they were that undisciplined... or if they did that intentionally. Either way, he opted to do a stealth approach, neutralize the approaches that  _ were _ covered by sentries, just on the off-chance that the approaches not covered were booby-trapped. Tyler personally took one approach, and crept on it slowly. His Kevlar boots made no sound on the soft dirt as he made his way toward one of the sentries. The poor bastard - a pale-skinned human - made not indication he was aware of Tyler. Tyler didn't have a suppressor attached, so he knew if he fired a shot, that would alert others nearby. But he had the Force. And he decided to use it. He made a quick check to ensure no one was nearby that would see this man, and then delved into the Force, grabbing hold of the man's head, and twisted with a quick motion of his hand. The man's neck was snapped without a sound - at least not one loud enough to alert others - and Tyler caught the man's fall and dragged him into the bushes. He covered the body with foliage, and continued his approach. The other dragons fed info on enemy positions, and other Runners were silently silencing the sentries, making an approach to the camp itself. The camp was situated in a clearing in the woods - and a rather large one, at that. A makeshift command center sat at the center of the encampment; a communications dish north of that, a munitions dump to the west; east sat a mess hall constructed with logs from adjacent trees - amazing no one ever heard it when it was constructed; and south sat a structure serving an unknown purpose. Fliers were unable to get a direct look at the camp, on account of Tyler's orders not to be seen by enemy personnel on the ground. But Tyler, on reaching the camp, noticed it was short on personnel - nowhere near enough to defend a camp this size. Something was definitely off.

"All units, hold position," he whispered into his radio. A series of double-clicks acknowledged his order. He then opened a line to Bryce. "Bryce, you seeing this?"

Bryce, whom Tyler had placed monitoring his armor cam, acknowledged.  _ "Affirmative - enemy presence is way too light. This may not be their primary base of operations." _

_ "Suggestions, mister Horgus?" _ asked Taylor, one of the Earth Dragons.

"Stand by - I'm gonna go in for a closer look," Tyler stated, formulating a plan. He remembered he had a personal cloaking device in his gauntlet, one he used for stealth ops. He quickly activated it, and moved into the camp. Still moving quietly, he moved first for the munitions dump, where on slipping past the sentries in the camp, he got a surprise - the dump was surprisingly empty.

_ "The hell...? What were these bastards planning on using against us, harsh language?" _ Bryce's voice asked in Tyler's ear.

"Hell if I know," Tyler whispered.

_ "Make for the comms dish - maybe we can determine who they were talking to,"  _ Bryce suggested. Tyler complied, and moved for the Comms array, taking care to avoid the sentries in the camp. Again, Tyler noted the enemy presence was surprisingly light for a camp this size - and with a near-empty munitions dump, it begged the question: did they think so little of the Dragons' combat capabilities, or were they pulling out? Tyler made it to the communications dish, and found it unguarded. Acting quickly, Tyler plugged his gauntlet in, and was able to access the comms, where he got hit with another surprise: the logs had been wiped.

"Enemy comms are blank - they must have been wiped before we got here," Tyler reported.

_ "Which means either they knew we were coming, or they were bugging out. Either way, it's not good," _ Taylor commented. Empty weapons cache. Light personnel presence. And now wiped communication logs. Something was going on here. Tyler headed for the command center, and like nearly everywhere else, he found it empty - but not just of personnel; nearly everything that would be present in a command center was gone. And the empty shelves that remained looked like everything had been removed in a hurry. Tables were moved, chairs overturned - someone left in a hurry. Tyler spotted a datapad, discarded in a tub of water, with a line of text burned into the otherwise blank screen:  _ "L/P: WSIMONS/DAMOCLES"  _ Tyler frowned, and suspected this to be a login and password, but to what? Tyler remembered the building that served no discernible purpose. Could it be that some answers lay in there? Tyler was about to exit when Bryce signaled again:

" _ Dammit, where the hell  _ is _ everybody?" _

"Few that are left are goose-stepping around outside or having chow. Got one last place I want to check out before pulling the plug on this camp," Tyler said as he exited the tent. He then made for that unknown building, finding it unguarded - and the door was left open. Bad sign. But the Force did not tell him there was danger there. Just something he needed to find. He entered the building, and found something he was not expecting to see: A device, with seven pads top and bottom, arrayed neatly in a circle. The pads glowed a soft white, and the nearby computer was active.

A Transporter Pad. Tyler approached the computer panel, and saw it required a login. He remembered the datapad, and entered "WSIMONS" in the login space and "DAMOCLES" in the password. The computer chewed on that a split second before giving Tyler new text. The most of the logs had been erased - but Tyler caught a break on this one; the computer kept logging the transporter usage, and from it, Tyler was able to determine that this transporter was used to transport a large amount of personnel and material to another location in the sewers beneath a city near the center of the continent. "Got it!" Tyler proclaimed quietly. "Bryce, MJ12 bugged out of here - took everything they could with them, but the computer kept logging where they sent their stuff - I'm downloading the logs."

_ "Copy - what should we do with the MJ12 personnel and equipment?"  _ Bryce asked.

"Capture whatever equipment you can - any personnel puts up a fight, kill them. Those that don't, detain. We'll let the council deal with them," Tyler responded.

_ "What do you intend to do?"  _ inquired another of the Earth Dragons, David.

"Soon as I have the logs downloaded, gonna get MJ12's attention, draw their fire; have the Runners attack from their rear flank," Tyler requested.

_ "Copy - Runners, take positions," _ Taylor ordered. Tyler finished downloading the logs, and moved outside the building. And waiting for him in the doorway was one of those gray-skinned Men In Black. The MIB hesitated, evidently having trouble seeing Tyler, and Tyler immediately raised his weapon and put a burst in the man's face. He dropped like a rock, and Tyler took cover - but the attack never came. It was as though the sentries were unaware one of their officers just died. Tyler dragged the MIB's body inside, then exited the building, and instead of avoiding sentries, he quietly killed them, one after the other, until he got to the general area of the mess hall. Nearby were some metal crates - that would be his cover. He snagged a frag grenade, pulled the pin, and threw it to the mess hall - right as the troops were leaving. The grenade bounced once, landed between two soldiers, and detonated with a reverberant  _ BLAM! _ The blast sent two flying, and Tyler opened fire on the soldiers. The MJ12 troops came flooding out of the woodwork, and several got nailed by Tyler's automatic fire. These must have been greenhorns, as they seemed to have zero combat experience; half of them retreated inside the mess hall, and half of what remained got drilled as the runner dragons came in from behind. The half that survived the initial onset of the attack made a break for the munitions dump, but got cut off by Tyler and the Earth Dragons. Several died resisting, and the others surrendered; the forces that retreated into the mess hall fought among themselves, but eventually ousted and killed the die-hard MJ12 Loyalists and surrendered. When all was said and done, there were nearly two dozen MJ12 casualties. The dragons took no casualties, thanks to the equipment provided by Tyler. Tyler returned to the Dragon Command Unit, and he downloaded the data he'd gathered into the computer. As he did this, Bryce came in.

"I have to admit - I thought for sure we'd take a few hits, send some of the boys and girls home in boxes," he said. "You really got us a crushing victory."

"Hardly," Tyler sighed. "The presence in that camp was far too light for its size - according to the transporter logs, most of the personnel and material was beamed to another location before we got there."

"So you're thinking they knew we were coming?" Bryce surmised.

"It would not surprise me," Tyler said. "But even if they didn't know,  _ something _ prompted them to evacuate." The computer beeped and Tyler disconnected his gauntlet from the computer and began going over the data. "According to this, they beamed to a location in some sewers beneath the city at the center of the continent."

"Gorinth City," Bryce said. "That place has a vast and complex sewer system - but it was abandoned once newer water reclamation and waste disposal systems were devised. Ever since, that sewer has been a haven for clandestine activity."

"Sounds right up Majestic Twelve's alley," Tyler sighed.

"What was it you said that MJ12 used to get there?" Bryce asked.

"Transporter," Tyler answered. "Teleports personnel and material from one place to another. I previously did not realize they had that kind of tech." Tyler paused to scoff. "My girlfriend would go nuts trying to reverse-engineer that thing if she saw it..."

Bryce chuckled. "I bet she would," he agreed. "Thank god she isn't here."

"Regardless, I imagine I'll need to report this to the council," Tyler said.

"Yes, they would be eager to know how this operation went," Bryce sighed, "But I imagine our work is only just beginning."

"If you're gonna report to the council, sir, I already have them on video call," reported a runner.

"Patch them through, please," Tyler requested. The runner typed in a few commands, and the council appeared on the screen.

_ "Commander Horgus... how did the operation go?" _ Emera spoke first.

"Operation was a success - no dragon casualties. There is, however, another problem," Tyler reported.

_ "How so?" _ Emera asked.

"The bulk of the MJ12 forces escaped via a transporter before we arrived; transporter logs pinpoint their destination at the sewers beneath Gorinth City," Tyler reported. "Most of the material at the camp was moved last night, and the bulk of their personnel evacuated this morning."

_ "They left?" _ Alice queried.  _ "Was there any indication they knew you were coming?" _

"Unknown," Tyler answered. "All we know is they bugged out before we got there. Some of their personnel were still there, and a number of them were captured in the aftermath of the battle."

_ "You're not gonna object if we interrogate them, are you?" _ Emera asked.

"I was hoping you'd take the initiative," Tyler admitted. "More intel we can get out of those we captured, better off we'll be."

_ "My sentiments, exactly," _ Emera agreed.  _ "Bryce, take our forces and escort the captured MJ12 troops to the holding facility - keep them separate from any other criminals. Get whatever information you can out of them, and report to the council. Clear?" _

"Crystal, Minister," Bryce responded, before leaving. Emera then returned her attention to Tyler.

_ "Consider me impressed, Tyler - you not only survived the operation, but gained a crushing victory against MJ12," _ she told Tyler.

"To be frank, Minister, this was hardly a crushing victory; the enemy basically left those troops behind to die. This was hardly a test of my combat capabilities; I suspect future engagements will not be so simple. And fighting MJ12 troops in enclosed corridors like sewers presents its own problems," Tyler explained.

_ "The fact you know these things suggests to me you'd be the perfect man to lead this fight. You have good instincts, keen combat skills... and clearly superior equipment," _ Alice told Tyler.

"Honestly, I'm using equipment I either salvaged, or created via the Force. Superior to MJ12 equipment? Debatable. But MJ12 will throw more than a few surprises at us, trust me," Tyler said. "I've fought them for centuries, remember? I know how they operate - yet even they pull new ones on me."

_ "You still are the perfect candidate to lead this fight. Regardless, while we wait for the interrogations, I imagine there's a certain young lady who would be thrilled to know you survived the battle," _ Emera said, clearly knowing Tyler would get the implication. Tyler nodded.

"Of course, Minister," he said.

_ "We'll be in touch," _ Emera stated, before the video call ended. Tyler smiled, and headed for the production facility...

**{{{{{ }}}}}**

Ever since Tyler had left with Bryce in the morning, Anna couldn't help but be worried sick about him. She couldn't stop thinking about him - and it was beginning to show. She could hardly focus on her work, she seemed visibly distracted, and a bit jumpy. This was evident when Damion walked up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Anna?" he spoke. This was enough to startle her, and she jumped with an audible gasp.

"Please don't do that again!" Anna requested.

"Sorry," Damion apologized. "But you seem a bit distracted today. Is everything alright? Are you and Tyler okay?"

"No, we're fine - Tyler... he just..." Anna stammered. She sighed, agitated, then continued, "I'm not sure I'm at liberty to say what he's doing."

"Maybe not, but it's public knowledge that a Majestic Twelve camp was located," Damion said. "What does--? Did Tyler go there?" Anna didn't verbally respond, but nodded. "Anna, listen to me - Tyler knows the risks. He knows what he's doing. He's fought MJ12 for centuries - I'm sure he'll come out on top."

"I know - I just can't help but worry about him," Anna responded. "I love him so much... I don't want to lose him."

"There's nothing wrong with worrying about the man you love - it's only natural," Damion assured her. "Have faith, Anna - he'll be alright."

Anna thought for a moment, then nodded with a smile. "You're right - he's been through worse than this," she said. She returned to her work, and for some time, had no idea how much time had passed. Next distraction came when a pair of hands covered her eyes. "Really, Damion, I'm--" Anna stopped midsentence when she realized Damion didn't have hands this soft.

"Guess who," came a voice Anna knew all too well. She turned around and saw Tyler standing there grinning.

"Tyler!" she squealed in delight as she threw her arms around him in a hearty embrace. Tyler gripped her tightly. "Did you get the bastards?" Anna asked when she released him.

"No, the bastards bugged out before we got there - transporter tech," Tyler said. "According to the logs, they headed for the Gorinth City Sewers."

"The Gorinth Sewers?" Damion repeated. "You're sure of that?"

Tyler looked to Damion. "Yeah," he affirmed, "Why? Know something?"

"Yeah - my cousin used to work the sewers," Damion said. "Give me ten minutes, I can get you a map of the entire system. Runs all underneath the city."

"Sure, go ahead," Tyler said, clearly taken aback. Damion went for his phone, then made his call. While he did, Anna bumped Tyler.

"You okay, hon?" she asked.

"I'll be fine, baby - just a bit taken aback that your coworker would have access to something tactically useful in this situation," Tyler responded. "A map of those sewers would really come in handy."

"Quite ironic, that a dragon that once insulted you would have something you would need," Anna chuckled.

"Yeah," Tyler chuckled with her.

"... Oh, you did? Where? ... You're sure? Alright, thanks, Tom. Let's not wait till the new year for the next get-together, huh?" Damion said into his phone, shortly before hanging up. "Well, Tyler, you're in luck - my cousin Tom left the map at my house."

"Should we tell Bryce or Maverick?" Anna asked.

"They're probably busy with the interrogations of the MJ12 troops we captured at that camp - we should get it ourselves," Tyler stated.

Anna looked to Damion. "Can you give us the map?" she inquired.

"Definitely - I want MJ12 gone almost as much as your boyfriend does," Damion said as he rose from his seat and shed his lab coat. He placed the coat on the back of his chair and started for the door. Tyler and Anna both followed, and followed Damion to his apartment. When they got there, Damion invited them in. "Make yourselves comfy - I'll get the map," he told them. He went off to one room, leaving Anna and Tyler alone in the foyer. Looking around, Anna saw the walls covered in numerous awards and trophy plaques.

"Who knew Damion was so accomplished?" Anna commented.

"Looks like your apartment," Tyler said.

"You can see why I resented you, Anna," Damion said from the room he was in. "It was like all those were meaningless next to you."

"I'm sorry," Anna apologized.

"Eh, it's all in the past - we work together, now; you, me, and Tyler," Damion said as he emerged from the room with a large, neatly-folded piece of paper under his wing-arm. "And we've, I think, become friends. Quite amusing, considering how we started." He presented the paper to Tyler. "The map. Shows the whole sewer complex."

"Thank you, Damion. When this is over, I'll see to it you are recognized for this. Without it, our forces likely would be running around the sewers for god-only-knows how long, and give MJ12 the opportunity to give us the middle finger as they get away," Tyler thanked Damion.

"Hopefully, between this map and Bryce's interrogations, we can pinpoint the exact location of MJ12's base," Anna added. "Thank you, Damion - this really helps."

Damion smiled. "That means a lot, coming from you," he told her. He looked to Tyler. "I don't know how you managed to change her, but I'm glad you did. Regardless, you two better get this to Bryce."

"And we will - again, thank you, Damion," Tyler said as he and Anna headed for the door. As they headed for the police station, Anna spoke to Tyler:

"Tyler... I want you to know, whether you survive this or not... I consider myself honored to be yours. I always have been, and shall always ever be, your true love."

Tyler stopped and turned to face Anna. "I know, Anna - and I will always love you. But I'll survive this," he told her. He ran a hand over her cheek. "I promise. I'm coming home to you. You and I are gonna live - we're gonna see the day we get married, and have a life together."

"Always the optimist, aren't you, Tyler?" Anna chuckled. Tyler chuckled with her, and they shared a tender kiss. Anna felt assured, warm, and happy. She believed Tyler when he made his promise.

He would come home to her, one way or the other...


	9. Episode Nine: Sewer Brawl

Episode Nine

Sewer Brawl

Between interrogations of the MJ12 Prisoners and the Map Tyler and Anna got from Damion, the Dragons were able to identify the area of the sewers beneath Gorinth City that MJ12 was basing their operations. Specifically, they were using an old, but quite extensive, bunker that had been used during a short-lived conflict many years ago. It had entry points all throughout the lower sewers. Tyler knew there would be no playing it subtle when the dragons descended into the sewers - not for long, anyway. So he replicated some heavy firepower for the task force that was going down in there. Suspecting he'd be up against shock troops and commandos, he also issued Energized Armor-Piercing ammunition for all the dragons using ballistic weapons. Emera knew, as Tyler did, that MJ12 would not waste time evacuating if they knew they had been found, so they had, as a contingency, a plan to kill any kind of power down in that bunker once the gig was up.

Anna was in tears, seeing Tyler leave for this campaign. Sure, she knew it was for the good of their world and home, not to mention their people, but she had grown very attached to Tyler. She loved him. She had even said so in the presence of family and friends - who were surprised to hear her say such things openly. She wanted him, and she did not want to lose him. But she knew he had to finish this fight - and she could not come with him. Adine kept assuring her Tyler would make it. Anna's mother, father and sister all assured her he'd survive. Even Maverick told her he'll come home victorious. They eased Anna's worries as Tyler left for war, but they did not erase them. She still knew, in the back of her mind, there was a possibility he  _ wouldn't _ come home. And she dreaded it. So when Tyler stood at the door, she gave him one last passionate kiss, held him tight, tears flowing, as she told him she loved him and wished him luck. She broke down after the door closed.

But Tyler, as much as he wanted to hold Anna close and assure her he'd make it, he knew that he couldn't afford to be emotional as he set off for this operation. He had his BR77A2 loaded and ready, energy shield energized, armor cinched, and a mindset of a soldier marching off to war. And this time...  _ he would finish what Majestic Twelve had started four centuries ago _ . He met Bryce and Sebastian at the transport, knowing they knew the risks. And with that, they boarded the transport and started for Gorinth City.

Upon arrival of Gorinth City, Tyler was greeted by the city Mayor, Gary. "Marshal Horgus, so good to finally meet you! Mayor Gray," the dragon - an Earth Dragon - introduced himself. "Can't tell you how relieved I am you're heading this operation."

"Don't tell me you don't trust Chief Bryant," Bryce requested.

"On the contrary; Bryant is a superb chief - but once we learned it was Majestic Twelve in that Bunker, Bryant was quick to advise me to seek you out, mister Horgus," Gary replied. "He openly admitted that without your aid, we would be woefully unprepared for a military engagement, which has been increasingly likely in recent weeks."

"What do you mean?" Tyler asked.

"Something has those jack-booted troops down there jumpy - recent surveillance feeds show them being on edge. Our resident hacker determined that an 'old nemesis' has them in their sights, and they feel they need to retreat and plan their response," came a much deeper accented voice. Bryce turned to his left and saw another Earth Dragon approaching.

"Bryant!" he greeted him. The two exchanged a hug before Tyler spoke,

"I imagine that Old Nemesis is me."

"That's the consensus we reached," Bryant answered. "So you became the logical choice to lead the assault to eliminate Majestic Twelve."

"Has anything else been gleaned from MJ12?" Tyler asked.

"We did catch wind of a 'Luna Base', but we can't figure out what that is, let alone where it is - but we did learn that was their fallback point if the Sewer base is ever attacked," Bryant responded.

"Luna Base... Luna Base... now why does that sound familiar?" Tyler mused aloud.

"Could you have come across something regarding it before your tenure here?" Bryce queried.

"Possibly - but I cannot remember presently. Main priority right now is getting down there and keeping them from escaping," Tyler stated.

"Speaking of which, the equipment you replicated arrived ahead of you; the task force is donning the gear as we speak," Gary said.

"Good; tell me about the bunker," Tyler requested. "What can I expect from it? Choke points, bottle necks, defenses?"

"Our hacker got a good look at their defensive setup up to the inner core of the bunker, where we believe the MJ12 Command Staff is located; the Bunker was designed for a few to defend it against many; we have a tactical plan in planning, but we can really use your expertise - our staff awaits at the command post," Bryant said. He motioned with his arm, and lead Tyler, Bryce and Sebastian to a tent some distance away. On entering, Tyler got a good look at the Dragons' tactical plan. He had to admit, they did an admirable job - except for one detail.

They opted for a direct, brute-force frontal assault. The casualties from that would be extreme. Tyler explained what the dragons were up against - a trained, paramilitary fighting force skilled in both offensive and defensive combat scenarios - and the Dragons admitted they held off to let Tyler give his own input. For starters, there were choke points and confined spaces all the way to the command center of that bunker - and every choke point was defended by remote turrets. Next, there were laser tripwires tied to plastic explosives that would cause cave-ins in that bunker if they went off. Those had to be powered down. Finally, the Majestic Twelve troops outnumbered the task force by a good three-to-one margin, which was both bad and good; while the dragons were outnumbered, those narrow corridors meant there was little cover for MJ12 outside the barricades they'd set up around the remote turrets; and Tyler sent along grenades that were nowhere near powerful enough to cause cave-ins in the bunker. Tyler agreed that a frontal assault would break Majestic Twelve's defensive lines - if their electronic defenses could be disrupted or disabled. So, he proposed taking a small team to infiltrate the base and deactivate the enemy defenses, then signal the other dragons to begin the assault.

"... once Majestic Twelve's lines have been breached, we march straight into the command center, and capture the Command Staff - alive, if at all possible," Tyler concluded. "Hackers up here will remotely slice into MJ12's network, and disable any way for them to escape, and find ways to further disrupt their defense. All goes well, we'll be one step closer to bringing Majestic Twelve down for good. Any questions?" Tyler looked over the dragon faces there. Not one of them uttered a single word. They understood perfectly. "Then let's get to it. Majestic Twelve is on the run; they're scared, they're worried. They know we're coming. They know we can fight them. They know I'm fighting alongside you. They know they're running out of places to run. And that gives them fear. We will cut into the heart of this infestation, capture the commanders, and burn any MJ12 troops that stand in our way! We will find their Luna Base, and when we do, we'll know just what to do!" The dragons roared their agreements. They were ready. And so was Tyler.

**{{{{{ }}}}}**

The schematic of the sewer system showed an abandoned water duct that ran from its entry point all the way to just shy of MJ12's command center. Using it would allow Tyler and his team to bypass most of the enemy defensive lines. Surveillance saw the other end as unguarded - apparently, they didn't think that point would be found. So, while the other dragons got in position for the assault, Tyler, Sebastian, and two other Runners moved for the water duct. Tyler was surprised Sebastian had volunteered for this op. But he was happy to have him, regardless. One more dragon watching his back. They quietly descended into the sewers, keeping each other clear and keeping their heads on a swivel. Tyler led them to a grate, and using the Force, was able to quietly remove the cover. Tyler was first in, made sure the area was clear, before signaling the other three to jump down. Tyler moved slowly through the duct, taking care to listen to the environment around him - something he learned to do long ago. The duct, like the sewers, was eerily quiet, with only a hollow booming to disturb the otherwise perfect silence. A stark contrast to the environment outside, where the sounds of the city provided a constant flow of sound. In here, Tyler could hear a pin drop - so he'd hear soldiers if he came across any. One particular turn brought a surprise - a duo of bored MJ12 troops.

"Something creeps me out about Hela - I don't know," one said.

"She's from High Command - they're all like that," responded the other.

"I think she really gets off being down here," the first stated. "Have you seen the little nest she put together in the room with the pillars? The Command Post?"

"She does seem to be in her element," the other agreed.

"... curling up in her nest like a harpy..." the first muttered.

"Man, I'll be glad to get out of here," the second chuckled nervously.

"Me, too - I don't like tunnels. Always feels like someone's creeping up on you," the first agreed. Tyler looked to his cohort, taking note of their claws. He clenched his hand twice, then drew his thumb across his throat then indicated the troopers in the passage. Sebastian nodded, and he and one of the runners silently approached the two chatty soldiers. Without a sound, they both grabbed the soldiers, one hand over their mouth, and the other drawing a claw across their throats and killing them quietly. They quietly set the soldiers on the floor, then unslung their rifles, and continued the trek through the water duct.

_ "Bryce to Tyler - teams are in position,"  _ Bryce reported over the radio in Tyler's ear.

"Good - stand by; we're halfway through the duct," Tyler responded. The team continued through the duct until they came to the target exit point. There was, however, a snag - the ladder going up had been severed halfway up.

"Great," Sebastian grumbled. Tyler didn't verbally respond, but instead leapt up, grabbed hold of the ladder, and waited as it rattled quietly. Strangely, no one came to investigate. Tyler ascended the ladder and then called up a grappling hook with a thousand-pound test cable tied to it. He tied it to a pipe outside, then looked down at Sebastian and the team. He held up one finger, then made an upward motion with his thumb. They got the message, and as soon as Tyler was clear, Sebastian ascended next, and the dragons one by one climbed up the rope. The command room was far from empty, but none of the personnel seemed to notice them. Their attention was focused outward. Tyler and his team quietly moved through the rooms, and found the command center. There, Tyler saw that man with the silvery facial tattoos get onto a transporter pad and beam out. Then the room was empty.

Tyler, Sebastian and the team moved in, and found the computer powering the defenses. Tyler was quick to connect his wrist computer, hack the computer, and shut down the defenses. A female agent in black then came on the team. She looked surprised to see them, but before she could even react, one of the runners raised a BR77A3 and put a burst into her skull. The gunshots resonated through the halls, and the troops went nuts.

"Tyler to Bryce - enemy defenses are down! Commence the assault! We'll hold out here as long as we can!" Tyler barked.

_ "Give 'em hell, Dragonborn," _ Bryce said. Tyler, Sebastian, and the two other runners took cover behind metal crates. Sebastian was armed with a modded MA5D; the runners both had BR77A3s. Tyler had his BR77A2. All of those weapons were automatic. So when MJ12 troops showed up at the command post, they got a fusillade of energized armor-piercing bullets. First wave was dropped as they came in. Second wave tried to throw grenades - which were promptly sent back at them. Getting killed with their own explosives persuaded them to abandon grenade use. There was a brief, two-minute gap between the second and third waves, during which, the distant sounds of battle could be heard. MJ12 didn't seem to be having an easy time with the dragons. Third wave was a pain in the ass - the MJ12 troops seemed intent on getting to the transporter pad, and Tyler and his team barely held them off. It was after the third wave that Tyler got word that the transporter had been remotely disabled - temporarily. Tyler acknowledged the report, then made ready to hold off the fourth wave - that never came. He heard footsteps outside, but no one entered the command post. Finally, a voice cried out, "Thunder!"

"Flash!" Tyler called back. It was then that dragons came inside. One of them, wearing a NCO logo on his armor, approached Tyler as he said, "Damn good thing you guys got here - we were running out of ammo here. What's the report?"

"We have the enemy on the run - but we lost a few runners," the NCO reported. "Let's hope enemy data in here makes their sacrifice worthwhile."

"It still would have been a lot worse if the Dragonborn and his team not infiltrated the enemy lines and shut down their defenses," another of the runners commented.

"That it would," the NCO agreed.

"Enemy commanders?" Tyler asked. The NCO hitched a thumb over his shoulder.

"KIA back that-a-way," he said. "They didn't even bother to try and surrender." Tyler hummed to himself as he looked to the computer, then at the transporter. He accessed the computer, and was able to access the transporter system. It spat out some encrypted data, and what looked to be a series of coordinates. He downloaded the data, then started for the sewer exit. Sebastian followed.

"Hell of a fight," he said.

"No shit - you good?" Tyler asked.

"Considering I just got out of combat - I'm alright," Sebastian responded.

"Good to hear," Tyler sighed. "Dunno about you, but I could use a shower." He handed a data storage device to Sebastian once they emerged from the sewer. "Get this to command - see if they can make something out of the data." Sebastian nodded, and hurried off. Tyler heaved a big sigh. This was a great victory - but Simons had evaded his grasp once again. Where did he go this time? Luna Base? Maybe. And that name - it seemed familiar, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember where he'd heard it before. He decided not to ponder it, and went to the hotel, checked in, and took a shower, then laid in bed to sleep...

**{{{{{ }}}}}**

Tyler was jolted from his dreams of his love back home by a knock on the door. Then another. "Tyler? Tyler, we have to talk!" Sebastian proclaimed. "The data's been deciphered, and you are not gonna believe it!" Tyler leapt out of bed and hurried into his gear, grabbing his assault rifle on the way to the door. He swung the door open to see Sebastian and Bryce.

"Sorry to wake you, pal," Bryce apologized.

"Never mind that, what do you have?" Tyler asked gruffly.

"We know where that Simons character went," Sebastian answered. "Come with us - we'll show you." Tyler followed Sebastian and Bryce to the command center, where the Dragon Command Staff was already present. Their composure, stance, facial expressions - Tyler could tell: They were  _ nervous _ .

"Johnny, punch up the data," Bryce requested. "Johnny" tapped in a few commands to his console, and brought up a profile of Simons. "I imagine you know Walter Simons - he's the top agent in Majestic Twelve, and the right hand of Robert Page, MJ12's head honcho. MJ12 computers contained a wealth of tactical data. Among those are personnel reports - MJ12 has had seriously reduced manpower after the Forest raid and the battle in the Gorinth sewers. What's left has drawn back to the alleged 'Luna Base'," Bryce said.

"Tell me you have something on it," Tyler requested.

"We do," Sebastian responded. "Like I said at the hotel, we were able to decipher the encrypted data you downloaded. Turns out, Majestic Twelve have a massive base... on the  _ Moon _ ." Tyler looked shocked. He remembered something he came across in an MJ12 Outpost - a prefabricated base, placed on the moon by an unknown entity, then abandoned for reasons unknown.

"Luna base..." Tyler said. "That's what it is - a Lunar Outpost! I remember coming across documentation of it back on Earth - they never had the means to get up there! But how did they get there from here?"

"Records recovered from MJ12's systems indicated initial occupation was via a starship that had been stored some ways away - they took a task force up there and secured that base... and discovered a cannon. One they think can cause massive devastation," Sebastian responded. "They also discovered a teleportation system that allowed them to transport men and materials between the moon and the surface here." Johnny brought up a render of the Lunar Outpost. "From what we've been able to gather, most of their personnel they have left have retreated to Luna Base, and we believe they are preparing to activate that cannon - and rain hell on us."

"Data indicates they've taken a number of our people for indoctrination - most of which have resisted, and are being kept in a brig sector," Bryant added. "Getting them out is one priority. Primary concern is getting up there and taking down what's left of Majestic Twelve. Simons will be up there, and so will Page."

"And I imagine they have nowhere else to go," Tyler surmised.

"Damn right," Gary affirmed. "They know that if we find a way up there, it's gonna turn into a last stand."

"So they're gonna fight like cornered rats," Tyler sighed. "But there is no discussion - we have Majestic Twelve cornered. They have nowhere to run." He looked to Sebastian. "Is there a way up there?"

"There is," Sebastian answered. "That transporter pad Simons used. It can only transport one person, so you'll be on your own up there - but there is a mass transporter not far from your entry point - you can start beaming up reinforcements there, and we can take the outpost."

"Very well - I go up there. I'll signal you before transport, so be ready at a moment's notice; those slime balls won't waste time trying to drive us out once we get up there, so do not hold back. I'll try to beam up as many as I can on the first go, but once the initial strike force is up, someone else will have to man the controls, keep bringing our people up," Tyler said.

"We got a bit of an unexpected surprise with this, too," Bryce said. "Remember those troops we captured in the Forest Raid? They volunteered to aid us in the assault. Turns out, there are a lot of dissident voices in MJ12, only kept silent by the officers."

"Between them and the prisoners up there, we have a real chance at completely taking over the station," Sebastian suggested. Tyler pondered this, then nodded.

"Arm them with everything we lifted from MJ12. Have them ready to go when I signal," he said.

"I'd wish you luck, Dragonborn, but as I've seen... you don't need it," Gary said.

"Nope. I've been fighting Majestic Twelve for over four centuries," Tyler said. "Now that we have them cornered, with nowhere left to run... it's high time we finish this." He looked to Sebastian. "Bring that transporter online - I'm going in. Be ready when I signal."

Sebastian nodded. "Roger that," he said heartily. As he headed for the transporter, Tyler reached out with the Force.

_ Anna... if I don't make it, know that I will always love you, _ he thought. And as he stepped onto the transporter pad, he could swear he heard Anna respond,

_ I love you, too... _


	10. Episode Ten: Lunar Showdown

Episode Ten

Lunar Showdown

Tyler never imagined, in all his centuries alive, that he'd get a chance to visit the Moon. Never thought it possible, especially after the Cataclysm. All the space-worthy ships had been destroyed, scavenged, occupied or stolen. But here Tyler was, being beamed up to an alien outpost on the moon. Tyler felt the architecture alien because it looked nothing like MJ12's typical architecture - bulkheads of blue and purple that shined like the oily sheen of a beetle's carapace. In fact, it looked more like the halls of an alien faction Tyler once saw in a game. But he had no time to ponder this when the transport was complete - almost immediately, alert klaxons blared, and the transporter room was anything but empty. A pair of MJ12 soldiers looked surprised to see an armored Tyler dive off the transporter pad before they could beam him back down, and take cover behind a metal crate. Tyler racked a round into the chamber of his rifle, and rose from cover to drill both of them before they could bring their weapons to bear. Tyler shifted his aim, and shot a sustained burst into the fire team that came through the door. Then he dashed, with aid of the Force, through the door before the enemy could close it.

_ "Intruder Alert. Intruder Alert," _ a voice on the PA declared.  _ "All combat personnel, intruder alert." _ Tyler ran down the adjacent hallway, looking for something that would tell him just where the hell he was. MJ12 personnel seemed slow to respond - or they were waiting for him somewhere. Either way, Tyler was not gonna let them stop him. He didn't come this far to be stopped now. He dashed from one room to the next, till he came across a Combat Information Center. And this one had officers in it, along with several dragons. Tyler was quick to drill the officers, and pointed his weapons at the Dragons.

"Easy, pal - we don't want trouble," said one, a flyer.

Tyler hesitated, then said, "My war is not against your kind - in fact, I came here to free your kind from those that keep you here."

"Then we'd be happy to help - most of us are kidnapped and forcibly conscripted personnel. We'd love a chance to bring down these Majestic Twelve assholes," the flyer said.

"Where are the prisoners being held?" Tyler asked.

"Brig sector, two decks down," the flyer responded. "There's an armory one deck above - if you can secure it, we can arm those of us willing to fight."

"Where are the controls for the mass transporter?" Tyler asked.

"Same deck, on the way to the armory, why?" the flyer inquired.

"I got a bunch of eager dragons down planetside wanting to take the fight to MJ12 - and there's a guy here I'm after, has silver--" Tyler was cut off by the flyer.

"--Facial tattoos, walks around with a Nano-sword clipped to his belt. Yeah, Walter Simons. He's holed up on the other end of the complex, the observation deck. He and Page intend to give the dragons an ultimatum - either turn over control or be obliterated." The flyer scoffed. "It's a bluff - no one here knows how to operate that cannon, not even the MJ12 goons."

"And now that the dragons know MJ12 is desperate, they'll be able to call him on that bluff," Tyler chuckled. He nodded, then lowered his weapon. "Get moving - we're taking this facility, and putting a permanent end to Majestic Twelve."

One of the other dragons, a runner, indicated Tyler's wrist computer. "If you want, we can give you a map of the facility - should let you plan your route easier." Tyler nodded, and the runner tapped in a few commands to a nearby console, and Tyler received a detailed schematic of the station he was on. It was then that his motion sensor painted a contact approaching the CIC. He immediately whirled around and spotted an MJ12 Commando, and fired on him. The armored bastard dropped like a rock, and Tyler moved outside and capped three more soldiers, then reloaded his weapon. The dragons made a dash out of the CIC, and Tyler brought up the map; from it, he determined an optimal route to the Mass Transporter, and started moving for it. The MJ12 presence was definitely thick here; he met resistance almost every step of the way. But his shields held, he kept to cover wherever he could, and drilled every last motherfucker that pointed a gun at him. He loathed to take an elevator or turbolift down to the next deck; instead, he took the hallways leading down. The architecture definitely allowed for it. More proof that MJ12 did not build this place - someone else did. Tyler couldn't help but wonder who. But he couldn't ponder it as he made his way to the Mass Transporter. He managed to find the room, and noticed the controls were in an elevated room. He quickly moved for the nearby door, and it opened to reveal a surprised MJ12 Commando. Tyler dropped him before he could react, and dashed through the door, up the ramp, and into the control room. He drilled the soldiers inside, then plugged his wrist computer into the controls, and easily hacked into MJ12's systems. He was quick to reroute controls to the station, then opened a channel to his dragon buddies waiting down planetside.

"Commander Horgus to Bryce... please tell me you're ready," Tyler spoke.

"Affirmative, Commander," Bryce answered. "And our new human buddies are eager for a crack at MJ12. They request to be beamed up first."

"Tell them request granted - stand by for transport," Tyler requested.

"Roger that," Bryce said. "Marines! Prepare for transport!" Tyler got a number of request signals, and initiated the transporters. In an instant, a dozen humans armed with automatic weapons and armored in Combat Armor painted in an olive drab color appeared on the pad. They immediately spread out, and one made his way into the control station.

"Sir! Alpha Squad ready to go, sir!" he said, his accent sounding heavily Australian.

"I need someone to remain here to keep beaming up our personnel," Tyler said.

"Leave that to me, sir! I used to work this station before I was transferred down planetside!" the soldier said. Tyler allowed the soldier at the console, and picked up his rifle. "Before you go, sir, I wanted to tell you - a lot of us appreciate this second chance you've given us. We want to make the most of it."

"You're doing the right thing, soldier - let's put an end to MJ12," Tyler assured the man.

"Roger that, sir!" the soldier agreed. He indicated the room. "Let this be a gesture from Humanity. We can live, fight, and die alongside dragons."

"I hear that," Tyler chuckled as he exited the room. It was an amusing thought - humans fighting alongside dragons. And it was one that brought him hope. When he got into the transporter room, he made himself known. "Marines! I need five volunteers - we're going one deck down to free the dragons that Majestic Twelve is keeping prisoner! The rest are staying here to keep this room secure, keep our reinforcements coming!" Almost immediately, five soldiers stepped up; the next squad of soldiers beamed in after that. Tyler indicated them. "You lot - follow us, and when we hit the armory, you keep it clear! Got it?"

"Yes sir!" the NCO of that group responded.

"Alright, men - this is it! We keep our eyes downrange, fingers on our triggers, and we all go home in one piece. Am I right, marines?!"

"Sir, yes sir!" the marines shouted.

"Damn right, I am - now let's move it out! Double time!" Tyler commanded. He went out the door with his troops, and immediately ran into Majestic Twelve troops. They were visibly surprised to be fighting their own, and it gave Tyler and his troops the split second opportunity they needed to fire first. Half the MJ12 group before them went down, the others scattered.

"Frag out!" one of the troops shouted, throwing a fragmentation grenade into the MJ12 formation. Tyler ducked behind cover, thankful there were no ports to the space outside the facility, before the grenade detonated, and shredded the MJ12 troops - those outside the blast chose that moment to tuck tail and  _ run _ . Tyler rose from cover in time to shoot them dead as they ran. Tyler motioned his arm, and lead the troops deeper into the facility. They ran down winding hallways till they came across a room marked by a symbol of a pistol. The Armory. Tyler motioned for the one squad to take the armory and keep it open. The squad moved in, and quickly surrounded the human quartermaster. He was quick to surrender, and Tyler moved on to his next goal. The team he took with him was soon bolstered by a fire team of Runner dragons. With reinforcements now flowing into the facility, Tyler imagined Simons and Page must be going nuts by now. Or preparing for their dramatic Final Stand - The Last Stand of Majestic Twelve.  _ Soon,  _ Tyler thought,  _ soon this war will be over. _ He continued to move through the halls of this outpost, drilling any MJ12 soldier he came into contact with.

Getting to the Brig sector was easier than the deck above - MJ12 presence here was considerably more depleted, due to dragon attacks. The dragons in the CIC kept to their word, and freed the prisoners down here - who were all too happy to attack the MJ12 personnel now that they knew rescue was here and they had a chance to take their lives back. Tyler came across one brig room that was being occupied by a squad of MJ12 soldiers. Tyler was quick to engage, as none of them were looking behind them. The bastards were so distracted from the dragons in front of them, they never saw the attack from the rear - none of them survived. Tyler ordered the human marines to get the dragons that could fight to the armory, others went to the transporter to go back down planetside. With his remaining dragon fire team, Tyler pressed ahead, and started clearing out the brig and rescuing the dragons inside, one brig after another. At least four runners were injured in the battle by the time the Brig was clear. Another one was wounded, but remained combat effective after a quick treatment from another dragon squad. When Tyler returned from the Brig sector, he was reinforced by a half-dozen human marines and a trio of runners armed with Assault Rifles, one of whom was Sebastian. With the brig cleared, and the armory firmly under dragon control, Tyler rallied the available forces and pressed on for the observation deck, in an effort to catch Page and Simons before they could figure out any kind of escape plan. On the way down one corridor, Sebastian spoke to Tyler: "How's it feel knowing this war with Majestic Twelve is soon gonna be over?"

"High fucking time," Tyler answered. "Been looking forward to this day for the last four centuries."

"Anna's gonna be thrilled," Sebastian chuckled.

"No shit," Tyler said. They got to a nearby chamber, and were immediately engaged by a squad of MJ12 soldiers behind a makeshift barricade.

"Tyler," Sebastian called out over the gunfire, "Use the Force!" Tyler nodded, stored his rifle, and drew his lightsaber. With a dragon roar, he activated the lightsaber and leapt into the soldiers' fray. Then, he went on the attack, swinging his blades in tight, precise arcs and cut down the enemy as he went. Once they were all dispatched, he used the Force to telekinetically throw the barricades aside, and motioned his squad to follow him. They dashed through the chamber to an antechamber just shy of the observation deck, where they came across another defensive barricade supported by a mounted gun turret. While his troops took cover, Tyler drew the turret's fire and used the force to crush the barrel of the gun, then render the gun inoperable before he engaged with his lightsaber. Tyler was a blur, slaughtering MJ12 Commandos as they desperately fought to keep Tyler out of the observation deck. The dragons took care not to shoot at Tyler, but aided in drilling the MJ12 troops. None of them surrendered, instead opting to fight to the last man. The door sealed shut, Tyler approached it, and drove his lightsaber into the door, and over time melted it so he could enter. The dragons came in behind him.

The tall, red-haired man in the white suit spoke first from the other end of the observation deck. "Mister Horgus... long time, no see. The years haven't been kind, have they?"

"The years have not been kind to us both, it seems, Bob," Tyler answered. "Last time I saw you, you were tucking tail and running for the bomb shelter closest to you as the nukes fell from the sky."

"A shame you're against us," Simons said. "You could have been our most valued agent. You could have been an important player in the world we sought to create."

"The only world you would have created was a world ruled by an oligarchy ruled by fear and lies," Tyler hissed. "You sought to topple the governments of the world and replace it with your own. You wanted to control it all."

"We still can," Simons said. "We can bring the dragons of this world to heel, and they can become a servitor race to our new world."

"We can share all of this with you, Tyler - you can be a leader of a brave new world!" Page added.

Tyler's face contorted. "You realize you're talking to someone that cares about dragons, right?" he asked. Simons and Page's faces portrayed slight confusion, as though they previously didn't know that. "You turn my home country into a nightmare, plunge the world into a cataclysmic abyss of nuclear fire and radiation, murder my family, kill off my friends, slaughter innocents that stand up for themselves, then you come here, kidnap dragons that have nothing to do with your schemes, indoctrinate them, you tried to kill Anna, nearly killed me -  _ and now you wanna negotiate?! _ "

"We aren't the bad guys, you know," Page stated. "We wanted to bring stability to a chaotic world."

"Bullshit," Tyler disagreed. "You knew after the last election, the world would never trust you again. You knew you'd never be able to gain a foothold again unless no one was able to fight against you - and you knew I would undermine your efforts at every turn unless I was dead. But try as you did, you could not eliminate me; You managed to kill just about everyone else, but like a poor marksman, you kept missing your target. When you came here, you didn't think I'd follow you here."

"On the contrary," Simons said. "We knew you'd follow. Your sense of honor and duty would not let you do otherwise."

"But you still underestimated me, or we wouldn't be here," Tyler spat. "And now you're trying to convince me to betray the people that took me in when they didn't have to. When does that ever work?"

"And what did they offer you?" Simons queried. "Sympathy? Kindness? Love? Or did they appeal to a... baser need? How can they be better than your fellow man? What can they offer you that we cannot?"

"They offered me what you took away," Tyler said with pride. "I lost everything once before; I will not throw it away to join a band of tyrants that want to rule the world. You've already lost."

"Oh, we have, have we?" Page scoffed. "On the contrary - Majestic Twelve is at a new height of power! We have control of an interplanetary cannon--"

"--That none of your personnel know how to operate, let alone can figure out," Tyler cut him off. "Who are you trying to convince? You've lost at every turn, your moon base is being systematically taken control of, one sector at a time, you've repeatedly failed to take me out, your prisoners are free - you're damned lucky the dragons have no death sentence! Had this been brought before a grand jury back on Earth before the cataclysm, you both would be fucking hanged!"

"And what? You gonna be our judge, jury and executioner?" Simons sneered.

A beep sounded from a nearby console. "Well, our transport is ready - Simons, deal with mister Horgus and let's go," Page commanded.

"Even if you do have a transport waiting, you're cut off," Sebastian told him.

"We'll get to you soon enough. Simons," Page stated.

"Gladly," Simons said, drawing the Nano-sword from his coat and activating it. "Been looking forward to this for a while, ever since that bomb attack."

"You should have used a stronger bomb than that," Tyler taunted.

"Now that you're here, I don't have to," Simons chuckled. "How often does a man get a chance to face his nemesis in one on one combat?"

Tyler twirled his lightsaber. "You gonna fight... or talk me to death?" he growled. With Tyler's dragon roar, and Simons' war cry, they both lunged at each other. Simons was no novice with a blade - he easily deflected Tyler's attacks. But Tyler was faster than him when Simons went on the offensive, deflecting his blows and swinging in a few counterattacks. Simons and Tyler went at it like enraged animals, ready to tear each other apart. There was a pause in the duel, where Simons reached out and lightning shot from his fingertips. Tyler raised a hand and reflected it back at him. Simons was surprised, and didn't get a chance to raise his guard - he got struck and flung across the deck. "Gotta hand it to you, Simons - never pegged you for a Force-User!" Tyler called out.

"I'm not," Simons grunted as he got up. "Even the Force can be mimicked by modern technology."

"Then I guess those secrets die with you," Tyler hissed. He roared again, and leapt in an instant to Simons, the impact sending him into the air. Tyler leapt up with him, and sent a force blast into him that sent him colliding with the ground. Tyler landed, rolled, and came up lightsaber ready for the next assault. They swung their blades in aggressive arcs, throwing in punches and kicks. Neither showed any sign of letting up. In another surprise, Tyler grabbed hold of Simons' coat, spun, and threw him into a nearby podium. Page's smug look was gone, watching his right hand man get beat to a pulp by this... demon. Tyler immediately closed the distance, and aggressively assaulted Simons. Simons countered, and countered, and managed to land a hit on Tyler's chest - but the blade just glanced off the energy shield. Simons looked surprised. "Yeah," Tyler taunted. "Energy shield. Just like you, I take every advantage I can get. Nano-swords, like Lightsabers, have trouble penetrating most military-issue energy shields."

"No... impossible! How? How did you get this strong?!" Simons shouted.

"Time, Simons," Tyler responded. "Give me a year, and I'm good. If I've got a decade, I'm great. You give me four centuries, I'm unbeatable!"

"Oh, you think you're being cute!" Simons growled.

"Bitch, I'm adorable!" Tyler retorted. Simons yelled, and charged.

"I WILL END YOU!!!" Simons yelled.

Tyler deflected Simon's charge and sent him into a pillar. "You'll die trying," he responded. In a complete reversal of personality, Page was shocked and awed, while Tyler was smug and sure. Simons rose, and one last time, made an attack, throwing a blaze of fire at Tyler as he charged. Tyler was unaffected by the blaze, deflected the blow, turned inward, and drove his lightsaber through Simons' heart. "Fool... didn't you know? Dragons are immune to fire." Simons sat there, impaled on Tyler's lightsaber, staring shocked at Tyler as his life left him. His Nano-sword clattered on the floor, and he slumped over. Tyler removed the blade and cast Simons' body to the deck. He then turned to Page, and held his lightsaber so that the imperial crimson blade pointed at him. "You have two choices - surrender and face judgment, or advance and face summary execution," he told him. Page hesitated, but slowly dropped to his knees and put his hands behind his head. Tyler motioned for Sebastian, who advanced and cuffed Page.

The day was won. The War was won. After four centuries, the back of Majestic Twelve was broken. Tyler walked slower than normal as he headed for the transporter room. He couldn't believe it - after all these years, he won - and he  _ survived _ . But he knew he didn't do it alone - if it hadn't been for Anna, he'd never have gotten this far. And Bryce. Sebastian, who fought by his side. Damion, who gave a critical piece of the puzzle. Emera, who did the bureaucratic heavy-lifting with the council. But all of it - everything that lead to this day, was because Anna happened across Tyler that fateful night, and took him in. Tyler couldn't help but chuckle at how much of a boost Anna's ego would get just knowing that. But now that the whole ordeal was over, Tyler found himself wondering what he'll do now. He didn't know - but he knew where he'd start: The one dragoness that set all this in motion...

**{{{{{ }}}}}**

Anna couldn't stop looking at the photo of herself and Tyler at a carnival. Seemed like so long ago. The last photo they had together before he went off to fight a war. Or rather, to  _ finish _ one. She wished he didn't have to - but she knew no one was safe while Majestic Twelve ran amok. And Tyler was the only one who had more knowledge of them than anyone on the Dragon World. He was the only one who ever did. The only one who could stop MJ12 for good. Next to Anna's hand was a box of tissues, and scattered all over the table were crumpled up tissues. Tears flowed down Anna's face. She loved him so much, and she couldn't help fear losing him. She sniffled, wiped tears away, but never put the picture down. She wanted to believe that he'd survive. But it never erased the fear the whole time Tyler was gone.  _ "I'll survive this. I promise. I'm coming home to you - you and I are gonna live to see the day we get married and have a life together," _ Tyler's words rang in her head. They had ever since he left. And while that did make bearing his absence easier, it didn't take away this fear that she'd answer the door to someone saying Tyler was killed in action. Anna reluctantly put the photo down when a knock came at the door. She approached the door and dreaded the bad news.

But that's not what she found waiting on the other side of the door. When she opened the door, standing on the other side was a human with pale white skin, yellow dragon eyes, adorned in a hooded, black cloak, with a big smile on his face. Anna's face lit up with sheer joy and overwhelming relief, and she squealed in delight and threw herself on him. She pressed her muzzle to his mouth and kissed him, slipping her tongue over his. He embraced her tight, like a man come home to his wife after a long campaign. They remained lip-locked for some time, before parting to breathe.

"Did you miss me?" Tyler asked.

"Oh, I was so worried about you, baby!" Anna sobbed. "Don't ever leave me like that again, baby..."

"I won't," Tyler said. "I promise. Now that the war is over, you are all I want."

Anna looked into Tyler's eyes. "The war is over? You got 'em?"

Tyler nodded his head. "I got the bastards. Majestic Twelve is no more. And you, my dear... you and I are gonna have a unique opportunity, soon."

"In what way?" Anna asked.

"Council is gonna send us to the Moon Base. Turns out, MJ12 learned of an abandoned alien outpost on the moon. They couldn't access it from my time, but they were able to access it here via a hidden ship - which we found at the base in a special landing site. Council is sending us up there in about... six, seven months," Tyler explained.

"Why the wait?" Anna asked.

"Because the council feels we both need a nice, long break after everything we've been through," Tyler said. "And Emera personally felt we should have some quality time together. She really is rooting for us, you know."

"I hate to admit it, but I think she's grown on me - think she'd attend our wedding?" Anna chuckled.

"Funny hearing you talking about marriage," Tyler chuckled. "Didn't think you were--"

"But I want it, baby - I wanna marry you, I wanna have kids--" Anna went on.

"Sweetheart, please - relax. We have time. With MJ12 gone, we have all the time in the world to pursue our relationship," Tyler assured her. Anna smiled.

"You're right, honey... but you owe me a long time together, baby," Anna said, tugging on Tyler's wrist and leading him inside. Tyler put his equipment down, and followed Anna to the master bedroom. For the first time in his life, Tyler was free and clear, and had a good woman at his side. And he was gonna make sure it stayed that way, no matter the cost...

**To Be Continued...**


End file.
